I Will Find You - pt II
by MadamDixA-Lot
Summary: Mara has escaped from Neverland and is now and adult in the Enchanted Forest. Follow Mara as she searches the Enchanted Forest for her father, encountering familiar faces along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

Nearly nineteen years ago I escaped from Neverland. It had already been about twenty years since I'd seen my father when I landed in the Enchanted Forest. The woman who greeted me and my friends when we arrived would rue the day she'd sent us off in the opposite direction of where I needed to be.

"What do you mean he's not here? Louis, you told me he'd be here!" The woman, who called herself Cora, had informed us that my daddy, Captain Hook, had left only days before. He was out searching the forest again for any sign of life. There had been rumblings that there was another encampment on the other side of the forest. Time had been standing still for five years.

"Is there any food here? I'm starving." Isaac had been whining about food since we landed faces first on a beach in the Enchanted Forest. His brother had been doing his best to keep him quiet while I questioned the woman who greeted us about my daddy.

"Isaac, shut up, we'll get food later." Louis shoved his younger brother into the sand to shut him up.

"Come along children, there's plenty of food in the camp; you three must be famished. Come and tell me all about why you're here."

We walked towards the woods following the woman. There was a narrow path that led us through the woods for about a mile. It twisted around pine and maple trees. The forest here smelled so much better than the jungle in Neverland. It smelled cleaner, rather than musty like damp soil it smelled like a fresh rain and pine needles.

The trees slowly began to thin and the sounds of metal clashing and people talked drifted to our ears. Some of the villagers stood up and stared at us as we entered the camp. They were sitting around tables outside of their huts; smoke wafted from their cook fires. I could hear Isaac's mouth watering behind me as the smell of cooking food reached our noses.

"So, tell me children, how on earth did you get here?" The woman asked as we approached a particularly large hut.

I turned to Louis, not sure how to answer. I didn't think I fully trusted this woman. Louis nodded his head at me, trying to assure me that it was okay to trust her. We stopped momentarily at the door of the woman's hut before entering it. There were two young women in the hut preparing bread. The woman waved them off and they ducked into another room. We could hear pots and pans clanging as the two girls began cooking. We all sat around a wooden table, much like the ones outside only this one was much better done. The chairs had cushions on them and were incredibly comfortable.

"A magic bean. I found one a few years ago, I've been waiting for my father to leave my brother and I long enough to be able to use it to go get Mara. She's been waiting on me for almost twenty years."

"Neither of you look twenty years old." The woman's tone was incredibly condescending. She eyed both of us suspiciously before settling her gaze on me. "And your father has never once mentioned having a daughter. So why should I believe any of you?"

My heart sank. Why hadn't daddy mentioned me before?

"He probably just has a hard time thinking about me. I was kidnapped after all." It was the only explanation I could think of. She nodded thoughtfully was I went on. "When did you say he was going to be back? I wanna see him."

"Oh, sweetheart, I don't expect him back for another month at least. He was going to the whole other side of the Forest. I don't think he'll have even arrived there yet."

I didn't know what to think. I came all this, had waited all this time and now I was going to have to wait even longer before I got to see him again. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. The woman looked on at me indifferently.

"So we'll have to stay here for a whole month before I get to see him?" My voice cracked as I spoke.

"Well you've already waited all this time, what's another month?" She paused for a moment, thinking. "But, if you wanted to see him sooner you could always head out yourselves. There's only one tail that goes all the way from here to there so you wouldn't be able to miss each other."

I looked at Louis; he looked excited at the prospect of an adventure. I turned to Isaac to see his reaction but he was just staring off into space. Bae and I had had lots of adventures in Neverland, but there were only so many dangers there. I didn't know what was out in this Forest. We were still only kids. I looked back to Louis; he was begging me to say yes.

"Will you supply us with everything we'll need before we go? It's not like there will be many other villages along the way."

"Of course. Whatever we can spare will be yours to take." I nodded softly. I heard Louis softly say 'yes' under his breathe. I was scared about going off on our own.

The two girls who had scurried off to the kitchen when we came in returned with four plates, steaming with food. They had prepared some sort of stew, full of potatoes, carrots and meat. After twenty years of eating whatever bird or rabbit we could hunt, it was the best thing I'd ever eaten. The girls sliced and buttered bread for us before scurrying back to the kitchen. The boys and I ate like animals. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until the food had been set out in front of me. I shoved the stew into my mouth like I hadn't eaten in weeks. Even after I started feeling full I kept eating.

The sun had set by the time we finished eating. Both boys and I had had three helpings of the stew. And the woman ensured that she would have some sent with us. She allowed us to spend the night in her hut, but she insisted that we had best be off early the next morning so we could get a good full day of travelling in. She told us we would be traveling for several weeks before we made it to the other side of the Forest, or met my father, whichever came first.

The woman's servants prepared pallets for us on the floor of the main room in the hut. I slept in between the two boys. Isaac fell asleep immediately, but I tossed and turned and could hear Louis doing the same.

"I'm too excited to sleep, you?" He asked, finally turning to face me.

"No, I'm nervous. We don't know what's out there. How can we even really trust this woman? You said yourself back on Neverland that she's scarier than the Evil Queen; why do you trust her?" I turned to face him as I spoke. He was lying on his side with his head in his hand, staring at me. Even in the dark I could see the excitement in his eyes.

"I never said I did trust her. But the Enchanted Forest is only so big. We'll be able to find our way back here if we can't find your dad. Don't worry about it. I told Bae I would take care of you, and I'm going to. Even from Cora."

I turned back onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. I thought about my daddy, as my eyes grew heavy. I willed morning to come so we could head off and finally, hopefully get to see him.

"Goodnight Mara." Louis whispered as I drifted off to sleep.

 **Killian**

I was so tired I thought I would drop. I had been traveling for weeks and finally I could smell the smoke amongst the trees from the safe haven. We crew and I had been walking along the beach for at least a mile, the Jolly Roger could only be anchored at one spot on the beach, and that spot was quite a ways off. Cora was waiting for us as we approached the trail that would lead us to the camp.

"Welcome back. We've been waiting for you all for quite a while."

"Yes, well there are only so many people left in the Enchanted Forest, we have to go out to the far corners of the realm to get the supplies." I pushed past her, longing for my bed. When I had agreed to work with her, and stay with her in the Enchanted Forest I hadn't anticipated becoming her hound. She would only let me leave when there were supplies needed, any other time I was there for discipline. If someone acted out in a way she didn't approve of, I was to take care of them. I hated her.

"I met your daughter." She called from behind me. I stopped dead in my tracks. I hadn't told anyone of her. It had been twenty years. When the curse struck, most of my crew and been taken with it. I was the only one left in the Enchanted Forest who knew. I turned slowly, letting the other crew pass by as I made my way back to where Cora was standing smugly.

"I don't have a daughter, so I don't know what you're talking about." I would lie. I would lie until I could get more information out of her.

"Oh please. Why didn't you tell me? She's lovely. Her hair is so long. She has your eyes. Who's the mother, if you don't mind my asking? I never realized you had been that serious with a woman. I always thought you were a one night type of man."

I felt my blood boiling. She sounded so smug. If she had done anything to hurt Mara I would murder her. I would murder her and I would enjoy every second of it.

"Oh calm down, Hook. She's fine! She's not here, but she's fine."

"What do you mean she's not here? How do you even know all of this?"

"Now there we go, that's the answer I was looking for. So she is your daughter. I wasn't sure I could truly believe her. What was I to think when three children show up out of the blue, and one of them says the belong to you? You've never said anything of a daughter before."

"Because I assumed she was dead. They took her to Neverland and I haven't been able to get there since. Where is she?"

"Out looking for you. She was a liability to me. If she was here you wouldn't want to work anymore and I would lose my best man." She reached up and caressed my cheek affectionately as she spoke. I shook my head away from it. I had waited twenty years to see my daughter again and this witch had sent her off in the opposite direction. Set her off into a dangerous forest filled with ogres, wild animals and maybe even bandits. She may not have been killed on Neverland, but I would be lucky if she made it out of there alive.

"You're a witch. An awful, horrid witch. How could you send a small child out on her own like that!? How could you send _my_ child out on her own like that?"

"Oh please. I already explained to you why I sent her away. And she's not alone. She had two boys with her. A big one, probably around 16, and another one about her age who only seemed to care about food. He's really going to get them far." She chuckled. I couldn't believe she was talking so nonchalantly about my child.

"When did they leave? Where were they headed?" I turned my back to her and stomped toward the village. Mara could have been out in these forests for weeks. She could be starving, or injured. I didn't dare think that she might be dead.

"They left four days ago. There's no way you could possibly catch up to them. So just stay here. If they make it to where I told them you were, they'll be back." She called from where she still stood on the beach. I turned and went back, getting as up in her face as I could.

"Oh, they'll be back, of course. And if I'm not here you'll just send them right on back into the Forest! No. I'm going to find her." I turned back towards the forest but she caught my arm.

"Killian, dear, you're staying right here. You are going to continue doing as I say, or I will make sure that the worst thing that could possibly happen to her in that Forest does. Am I understood?"

It took every ounce of self-control I could muster to not tear her throat out with my hook. She now knew my biggest weakness. A weakness I'd kept hidden from anyone and everyone. A weakness I had tried to drown in rum for decades. I didn't say anything. I just stood there trying my hardest not to go on a murderous rampage.

"Come dear. The girls have some bread baking. I'll open up a bottle of wine. You must be exhausted." She shouldered past me, walking towards the camp. I stood for a moment, looking out at the sea. Mara was still alive, and she was here. I would see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

It wasn't until years later that I found out how close I had been to seeing my daddy. Louis, Isaac and I would travel for weeks before realizing that Cora had misguided us. We had been lucky though. A group of adventurers had been visiting the Enchanted Forest to see if the rumours had been true and believed that my daddy was still in their land gathering supplies. They had agreed to let us come with them since we were just three little children.

Years later, we're still in this other realm and I still haven't seen my father. We've thought about going back, to confront Cora for leading us astray, but we've never had the means. After arriving in this realm, Camelot, I was able to finally age; although being on Neverland had slowed the process for me. Nineteen years had passed but it only looked like fourteen had.

So here I am. In Camelot, an almost forty-year-old woman, who looks barely twenty, living with two men who can barley fend for themselves. Literally, I do everything because if I didn't we would probably starve to death. We had been lucky that Louis had been older when we arrived because it meant that he could support his brother and I until we were old enough to get our own jobs. He had found a farm to work on, and Isaac followed him soon after. I started working in a bakery when I was around eight, when I was sixteen I left and started working in a tavern. I was able to make more money there. The people of the village we went to had given us a place to stay until we were old enough to live on our own. Once we were old enough they helped us build a cabin. We've been able to live quite comfortably since then.

I hated working in the tavern. Being a barmaid gives you a unique perspective of men. Mostly that they're awful. Having an attractive mother and father was both a blessing and a curse working here. A blessing because people treated me with some kind of respect, but others seemed to see it as a reason to act like an animal towards me.

Today the men of the village were acting particularly animal like. I couldn't visit a single table without my ass being pinched or slapped. There was nothing I wanted more than to pinch or slap one of them back.

I was standing behind the bar cleaning some glasses, when a newcomer came in. He was wearing a strange kind of armour; he certainly wasn't a King Arthur type. He sat in the corner with his back against the wall. It was clear that he was waiting for someone, or watching someone. The whole tavern had gone silent when he entered. This village didn't see many strangers and everyone was just staring at the stranger silently. It was quiet for a few seconds before I broke the silence.

"What are you having, stranger?"

"Ale" The man spoke with a higher pitch than anyone had expected and a few of the men chuckled. I turned to Robin, who was working with me, lifting my left eyebrow suspiciously. I poured the man's ale and made my way to his table.

I sat down at the man's table after handing him his ale. He still hadn't removed his helm, but he would have to if he was going to drink. I knew my way around a man if I needed too. I stared at him until he finally removed the helm.

To the shock of the whole tavern, it was a woman under it. I sat back in my seat in shock.

"Well you're not who I was expecting." I crossed my arms over my chest as I spoke. Sitting back in my chair I waited for the woman to respond.

"You're not who I was expecting either." She took a sip of her ale and sat back, mimicking my posture.

"Who were you expecting then? Must be important if you're wearing all of that armour." She sat still for a moment; I could see her contemplating what she was going to say next.

"Why does it matter to you who I'm waiting for? You don't even know me."

"I don't. But what if I did want to know you?" I was somewhat shocked at my own words, but no one was as shocked as she was. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head, and her face turned bright red.

"I uh- I, hm." She stuttered before clamping her mouth shut and staring at me.

"What, not used to such vocal women where you're from?" Her mouth stayed clamped shut. "Oh great, I've scared you mute. Now how am I supposed to find out who you are and what you're here for?"

"You're not. You're supposed to bring me my ale and then leave until I need more." She sipped her ale as she finished.

"Can you at least tell me your name?" She squinted her eyes at me and leaned in towards me. I leaned forward to meet her in the middle of the table. Our faces were inches apart.

"Mulan." She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Mm, exotic." She rolled her eyes at me, and I giggled. "So are you going to tell me why you're here newcomer? We don't get many strangers around here."

"So I've been told. This is where people came when they heard about the evil queens curse. Are you one of those people?"

"I guess you could say I am. Stop avoiding my question. Why are you here?"

She started opening her mouth when I heard the door of the tavern open and the patrons fell silent again. I turned as saw a huge man enter. She sat back in her seat, glowering at the man.

"I guess that's why. I'll leave you to it then. Don't be a stranger." I winked at her as I got up. She grabbed my wrist as I started walking away.

"I'll have to if you don't give me your name." I smiled cheekily.

"Mara." She released my wrist and I made my way back to the bar. The big man was making his way to Mulan's table meeting me about halfway through the tavern. He looked down his nose at me and I tried to shimmy past him. He placed both hands on my shoulders, forcing me to stop where I was. I stared up at him, wide eyed. I heard some of the men around us stand up and unsheathe their swords. I looked over at the bar and saw Robin reach under it for one of my swords. The man bent down until his nose met mine.

"Ale. In the biggest glass you have. Fast." He released me and I breathed a sigh of relief. I made my way back to the bar as fast as I could. Robin was back to tending to patrons. I rummaged around looking for a big glass for the man's ale. I kept looking back to see if their table was okay.

"Men are atrocious." I said as I heard Robin wander up behind me.

"I take personal offense to that." I stood up to find him with his arms crossed across his chest.

"You're a special exception Robin, don't worry." I patted him on the shoulder and walked over to the keg with the extra large glass. As I leaned over to fill it I heard fists slam against one of the tables.

My eyes turned straight towards Mulan's table. Both she and the large man were looking at one of the tables by the door. The men at it had been gambling and clearly someone wasn't doing as well as they would like. Robin made his way over to the table to try to calm things down so I kept pouring the ale. With the glass full I turned to take it to Mulan's friend, just in time to see one of the men at the gamblers table swing at Robin.

The glass of ale dropped from my hand, shattering around my feet as Robin fell flat on his face. I reached for my swords under the bar, as all hell broke loose in the tavern. My only thought was to get Robin out of the hordes of fighting men before he got trampled. His wife had a child on the way, and I did not anticipate letting that child grow up without a father as I had.

I pushed my way through the fighting men. It wasn't the first fight we'd had at the tavern, but we were particularly full tonight. I pushed and dodged swords until I finally reached Robin and did it again as I dragged him back behind the bar. Once Robin was safe behind the bar I stood up to assess what I needed to do. Robin was always the one who took care of the fights while I stayed out of the way.

"You have to do something, this is getting out of hand." Mulan bent over the bar and yelled at me before turning around to defend herself from an attacker.

"I don't know what to do! I haven't practiced fighting in years! Robin always takes care of fights!" She disarmed the attacker and punched him in the side of the head, knocking him out.

"Well figure it out! You need to do something!" She turned and pushed her way back into the fighting crowd. I couldn't believe everyone in here was fighting each other. We were all friends here. I turned to the table that had started the fight. Maybe if I could get those men to stop the rest would follow; that is how the fight started after all.

I grabbed my second sword from under the bar. It really had been years since I had held both at the same time. They felt heavier than I remembered and I knew I would be clumsy with them. Robin groaned by my feet. I stood quietly, for a second, working up my courage before stepping out from behind the bar.

As soon as I stepped out I was under attack. The first man came at me from the side; I met his sword and we clashed. The best thing about fighting with two swords was being able to attack immediately after deflecting your opponent's. Our swords clashed and I held his in sword between my two.

"Come on little lady. You aren't a fighter. Let's head out back and have some fun, hm?"

"You disgust me." I kneed him in the crotch, he fell to his knees and I brought the hilt of my sword down hard on his head. He fell flat on his face. I stepped over him continuing to the door. I pushed through the fighting men, shoving anyone who got in my way.

Unfortunately the next man to step in my way was Mulan's giant of a friend. He wasn't going to be pushed out of the way so easily. He smiled ghoulishly at me, showcasing a mouth full of brown teeth.

"You weren't fast enough with that ale, love." He lifted his sword, which was nearly as tall as me.

"Would have been faster if this tavern wasn't full of fight happy men." He took a swing at me as I finished my sentence. I caught his sword with my left hand, but he was strong and I wouldn't be able to hold him long. With my right hand I swung for his arm, hoping if I could slice open his bicep his arm would fall and I would be able to counter. He dodged my attack but lost his footing and fell back a step. I took advantage of his disorientation to attack his arm again. This time I was able to slice him at the top of his bicep, he yelled and his left hand reached up to the scarlet blood dripping from him. He turned his attention back to me and I could see murder in his eyes. He swung his sword at me with so much force I was sure it would have cut me in half. I brought my swords up to meet his blow, putting as much force and energy as I could into them to stop his swing. I realized I was panting but kept pushing all of my strength into my swords. I knew I was going to have to do something to overpower him if I had any chance of winning this fight. I glanced at my two swords. I didn't want to move either of them or risk being overtaken.

I felt my arms starting to give out and knew I had to do something, fast. With all the speed I could muster I swung my left arm down, slashing the man's thigh open wide. His leg spurted blood all over the two of us and the fighters around us. It was warm and made my already tight pants sticky. I couldn't think about it long enough to feel sick though, the man fell to his knees but he was still too tall for me to knock out like I had my last opponent. The man was screaming in agony but was still trying to fight. He swung again but he was weak now. I blocked his blow with my right sword and without thinking closed my eyes and swung my left sword with all the force I could muster. My sword met flesh again but I was so full of adrenaline that I kept pushing. After a few seconds my sword was loose and I was able to meet his sword to block it. My left sword never met his and I toppled over as my right sword lost his. I finally opened my eyes as I landed on my hands and feet. The tavern went silent as I grunted and panted on the ground. I was staring at the floor trying to steady my breathing when I noticed blood pooling up around my fingers.

"Mara?" I turned to see Robin standing behind the bar, staring wide eyed at me. I looked back down at my bloody hands and followed the pool to find a severed head inches from me. I was too shocked to even scream. I stopped breathing completely. I had sliced this man's head clean off.

"Mara, are you okay?" Robin was behind me, pulling me to my feet. I still had my swords in my hands. They felt heavier than ever but I couldn't get my hands to let them go. I turned to face Robin. I wanted to say it was an accident; try to explain how this could have possibly happened but I couldn't get words to come out of my mouth. Robin was holding onto my shoulders to keep me steady, but I pulled away from him and ran out of the tavern.

I ran as hard as I could. I put my swords into my belt so I could run faster. I ran and ran until I thought my heart was going to stop. I finally found who I was looking for working in a field on the outskirts of the village.

"Mara? What's wrong? You're covered in blood, what happened?" Louis paled when he saw me. I hadn't thought about how I looked until he mentioned the blood. It had started to crust up as I ran, making my clothes stiff. I tried to talk but nothing came out; I just stood there mouth open shaking my head.

"Mara, its okay. Was there a fight at the tavern? What happened?" Isaac put his hand on my shoulder; one of the few places on me that wasn't covered in nearly dried blood.

"MARA? MARA!" Robin came running into the field. He slowed to a halt as he reached us, catching his breath before speaking again. "Mara, why'd you run away?"

"You saw what I did to him! Oh my god, they're going to execute me for this." My hands rose to my face as I let out a loud cry. They were sticky and smelled like blood. I pulled them away from my face and screamed. They were covered in blood. I was shaking so hard I thought I would collapse. Louis grabbed my wrists and shook me gently, trying to bring me back to reality.

"Mara, what happened?" He looked deep into my eyes, searching for an answer I couldn't figure out how to verbalize.

"There was a fight in the tavern. She was attacked by the biggest man I've ever seen." Robin spoke when words failed me again. Louis and I were just staring at each other, trying to figure out what to say. His mouth fell open and his eyes grew wide as Robin finished speaking.

"Oh my god Mara, are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" His hand caressed my bloody cheek and I shook my head no; I still couldn't find my words. "You're positive? You haven't said a word since you got here, Mar."

Tears started welling up in my eyes. I shook my head and sank to my knees. Louis followed me down. Isaac stood beside us, looking too shocked for words. Robin knelt down beside Louis and I.

"She's in shock." Robin rubbed my back as he spoke. Louis held me as I shook and cried uncontrollably.

"I killed him! How did I even do that!?" I looked up from Louis' shoulder. His eyes were so wide I thought they might pop out.

"Mar, it's going to be okay. It was an accident. You know anything can happen in tavern brawls." Isaac finally sank down to join the Robin, Louis and I on our knees. He put his hand on my shoulder, awkwardly trying to reassure me.

"I cut his head off. I didn't even think I was that strong!" My head fell back into my hands as I sobbed. Louis pulled me back into his arms and squeezed me tight. Robin and Isaac both tried to comfort me but Louis' arms were like a cage, trying to control and contain my sobs.

I pulled away suddenly, standing up and stumbling away from the three men kneeling on the ground.

"I have to get out of here. The sheriff will be here to find me soon. I have to leave. I have to go- go somewhere that isn't here. Oh my god."

"No, Mar, it's going to be fine. We'll go home, heat up some water and you can get cleaned up. I'll make you some tea, or something and once you're calmed down we'll figure this all out." Isaac was the one who grabbed me and stopped me from running again. Louis was usually the level headed one in our trio, but Isaac wouldn't want me to leave him. He held my wrist tight, so I couldn't be able to get away from him.

"The sheriff will be here soon. She did kill someone, accident or not, she may face persecution." I was looking down at Isaac's hand around my thin wrist when Robin and Louis started whispering. Isaac pulled me into his arms and held me tight, trying to keep me from hearing what they were saying. His shoulder however, wasn't a very good earplug.

"What are we supposed to do? Where will we go?" Louis sounded furious, speaking fast.

"I don't know! Maybe the Enchanted Forest? I have friends there. And isn't her father there? If you want I can go now and try to find you safe passage, I know some people down at the docks on the other side of the village." Robin was still trying to whisper, but they were close enough that I could hear him perfectly. Isaac squeezed me and rubbed my back. I moved my head to look over his shoulder at Robin and Louis. Robin was looking out towards the village while Louis stared sadly at me.

"Go. We'll go gather what we can from our cabin." He walked over to Isaac and I. Isaac released me and Louis took me back into his arms. His hands drifted up into my hair and pulled my head into his chest. "We'll leave after nightfall."

Louis let me go so that Robin could hug me goodbye.

"This isn't your fault. We'll see each other again. I promise." He cupped my head between his hands as he spoke.

"That's what they all say." He smiled sadly and kissed my forehead before running off back towards the village. Louis and Isaac flanked me, Louis holding my hand and Isaac with his arm around my shoulder. For the last time, the three of us slowly made our way back to our cabin.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

We gathered our things quickly; stuffing clothes and some food in our rucksacks before making our way to the other side of the village. We travelled through the forest to avoid potentially meeting someone on the main roads. It was a longer and more difficult trek, but we couldn't risk the authorities catching up with us.

It was sunset when we finally arrived at the docks. I collapsed against a tree, utterly exhausted. My arms and legs ached and I was still sticky with blood. I had only enough time to change my clothes and wash my face before we had to leave. I looked forward to being able to sleep and bathe. My limbs ached and I dreaded having to stand again.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Louis squatted down in front of me. He looked concerned, I must be pale.

"Yea. I'll just be happy once this day is over." I felt tears well up in my eyes again and I tried to wipe them away before Louis noticed.

"Hey, why did Robin bring Roland? He isn't coming with us is he?" Isaac was standing just inside the tree line, looking out towards the docks. Louis stood, and walked over while I tried to rise without grunting to loudly. Robin was holding his four-year-old son's hand, and they were both carrying rucksacks like we were.

They had arrived here from the Enchanted Forest just a few years earlier. Robin had explained to us that the part of the Forest where he and his Merry Men lived had been protected from the Evil Queen's curse, but that Roland hadn't been able to grow during the curse so he had brought them here. Roland had grown some, but like Louis, Isaac and myself, our aging process had been slowed significantly and he still only looked about four.

"Maybe Roland just wanted to see us off. He loves us." I hobbled over the where Louis and Isaac were standing; evidently sitting down had just taken me from sore to stiff. I leaned against a tree to try and keep myself from toppling over. Out of the corner of my eye I saw both men turn and stare at me concernedly. I refused to turn and look at them. Their concerned looks were making me feel like a weak child; I knew I was anything but.

I was staring out into the harbour when my gaze fell on Roland. He was staring right at me. I smiled and pointed at his father before lifting my finger to my lips. He tugged on his father's hand trying to get his attention. Robin bent down and Roland pointed my way. Robin looked up towards us and smiled when he found us. He picked up Roland and quickly made his way towards us. As they reached the tree line Roland reached out to me. I held my weak arms out and he hopped from his father to me.

"Hi friend. What are you doing here?" I hugged him tight to my chest in an attempt to keep my arms from giving out.

"We're going on an adventure!" He exclaimed in my ear.

"So you are coming with us?" Louis stared Robin down as he spoke.

"Yea. I wanted to make sure you all got to the Enchanted Forest safely." He paused and turned from the men to me. My arms were burning from holding Roland so I was more than happy to hand him back over to his father. "You look absolutely exhausted."

"I'll be happy to get on that boat so I can sleep. I just want this to be over." Isaac wandered over and awkwardly wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He was horrible at being comforting. Louis, who had been eyeing me turned away as I leaned into Isaac's hug.

The sun had finally set behind the horizon and stars were beginning to appear in the dark sky above us. Roland let out a huge yawn and I couldn't help but smile; I couldn't wait to sleep either.

"I found us someone who is willing to take us to the Enchanted Forest, but refuses to take us inland. Apparently ogres have taken over the unprotected areas in the past year or so. We'll have to be careful." Robin pulled Roland a little closer to his chest when he mentioned ogres. I pulled away from Isaac and gave Louis a questioning look.

"Are you sure we should be going to the Enchanted Forest? Cora's there too, and if she didn't hesitate to send us off to the middle of nowhere by ourselves who knows what she'll do when she finds out we're back. Maybe I should just go by myself; you all have your own lives here, there's no reason to uproot like this just for me."

Louis came over, grabbed my shoulders and shook me gently before hugging me so tight it became hard for me to breathe.

"We're going with you Mar." He let me go and cupped my face as he spoke. "We're your family. You're not going by yourself."

I nodded my head, but I felt insanely guilty. These three men were my family, but I hated that what I had done meant that they were being uprooted and put in danger.

Someone from the docks whistled and we all turned to see a man with a big red beard standing at the edge of the docks looking into the tree line at us.

"He's our captain, come, he doesn't like to be kept waiting." We gathered our things and quickly made our way over to where the man was standing.

"So this is it then? Come along, we mustn't be seen if I want to be returning to this port." He spoke with a thick DunBroch accent; he was likely a fisherman of some sort.

We made our way to one of the ships that was docked. It was small and rocked gently against the waves. Clouds covered the sky and the wind started picking up. I hadn't been on a ship since we had arrived in Camelot, but I still had my sea legs; it was something you never lost when you had been born on a ship. We followed the captain down below deck. At the base of the ladder was a storage area for all of the fishing gear; there were nets hanging on the walls, and salt barrels sitting along the walls. There was a door on the wall facing the ladder that was likely the crew's quarters. We followed him behind the ladder to a small room that had four small bunks.

"This'll be yur chambers until we reach the Enchanted Forest. They're tight but I'm sure ye won't mind." He winked at me when he finished. He turned and went back above deck. Robin quickly made his way into the cabin and laid an already sleeping Roland onto the bottom bunk on the left. Isaac climbed up onto the top bunk on the right.

"I'll sleep with Roland so each of you can have your own bunks." We all nodded in agreement. Louis and I were still standing in the doorway. My body was begging me to go lay down and finally rest but I felt sad. Being on a ship again, feeling it rocking on the waves, the gruff voices up on deck, all brought back floods of memories of being on my father's ship.

"Mar? Did you hear what I said?" Louis was shaking me gently back to earth. I shook me head and he sighed at me. "I said you should probably go lay down. It's been one hell of a day for you. I can see how badly you're needing sleep right now."

I nodded and dragged my feet over to the bunk opposite Roland and Robin. I collapsed onto the stiff pallet on the bunk. It wasn't comfortable but I didn't care, I was just happy to be off my feet. I slowly pulled my boots off; I had never felt anything so good in my life. I sighed and laid my head down. Thankfully, sleep found me quickly.

The first thing that hit me was the smell. Salty air filled my lungs. We must be far from land if the smell of salt water was so strong. I smiled and stretched. My limbs weren't stiff anymore and I felt incredibly well rested. I opened my eyes to a bright blue sky above me.

"What?" I sat straight up. Standing at the side of the Jolly Roger my mother was looking out to sea. She turned to me and smiled sadly.

"Hello darling." She walked over to me and helped me stand up.

"Mommy? I- I haven't seen you in years." I stammered.

"You haven't needed me darling. But now you do." She caressed my cheek as she spoke. "You've grown into such a beautiful young woman."

"I've made a huge mistake mommy." I pulled myself into her and wept on her shoulder. She held me and stroked my hair as I sobbed.

"I know darling. But it was an accident. Accidents are forgivable." She kept stroking my hair as she spoke.

"Not this one mommy. This was so bad." I pulled away and wiped my eyes. She kept her hands on my shoulders as she continued to try to comfort me.

"I know, I know. But you mustn't bring yourself down about it. It was you or him. And I'd much rather see you this way than any other. It is unfortunate how it happened, but you are strong. You're incredibly strong, in every way." She smiled softly at me.

The tears finally stopped flowing. My mother's words were more comforting that I could have hoped for. I still felt guilty, I always would, but I did feel better about what had happened. It was an accident. I hadn't meant to behead the man, just injure him enough get away. It was his own fault that his head was in the way of my sword.

"I know you're right mommy. I just feel so guilty. I never meant to kill him like that!"

"I know, dear. But it did happen and you just need to move along with life. You're doing that! I see a bright future for you, dear. Baelfire left you in very capable hands."

I missed Bae, but she was right again. Louis and Isaac took good care of me, even if I was the one who was usually taking care of them. We walked over to the edge of the Jolly Roger and looked out at the sea. The water was calm and a warm breeze was blowing. I closed my eyes and breathed the warm salty air deep into my lungs. I let the air out slowly, enjoying being out on the open sea again.

"Mommy? When-" I opened my eyes and turned to ask my mother if I was going to see my daddy again but my breath caught in my throat. My mother wasn't standing next to me anymore; it was Cora. She turned to face me, smiling coyly.

"What is it dear? I hear you're coming home. I can't wait to see you again." She laughed villainously and I shot straight up in bed screaming.

I didn't actually get a chance to scream out loud because I sat straight up and slammed my head on Isaac's bunk.

"Huh, what? What's going on?" I heard Isaac sit up, wondering what had just woken him up.

"It's okay Isaac, it's just me." I whispered, trying not to wake anyone else up.

"Oh? What's wrong?" His head popped down between our bunks.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just had a bad dream." His head disappeared then he suddenly hopped down from the bunk. He was quiet as a mouse and he climbed onto my pallet.

"What are you doing?" He slid in beside me, pushing me over towards the wall.

"I'm gonna hold you. Make you feel better." He looked at me awkwardly. Not sure if he should go back if his own bunk. "Want me to leave, or?"

"No, no. You can stay, if you want." I rolled over towards the wall so he could get more comfortably on the bed. He wrapped his arm around my stomach and pulled me close to him. Our bodies fit snuggly together; he was incredibly warm.

I fell asleep fairly quickly. I didn't dream again that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

I woke up alone and groggy. I had slept fantastically with Isaac, but I had apparently been quite restless while I was dreaming. My hair was a mess; I could feel it matted at the back of my head. I desperately needed to brush it but I couldn't remember if I had packed one. What I really wanted was to take a long hot bath. The thought of it sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine.

I sat up in my bunk and looked around; I was the only person left in the room. I slipped out of my tight pants and rummaged around in my rucksack for a fresh pair. I pulled out a pair of stretching riding slacks and slipped them on. I pulled out a loose tunic and changed my top. My comb had fallen out of my rucksack when I pulled my tunic out so I did my best to pull it through my hair. After ten minutes of struggling through the rat's nest that was my hair I settled with tying it in a loose bun at the top of my head, tied with a leather string. My face felt sticky and I thought about a hot bath again.

I sighed disappointed and made my way up onto the deck. It was late morning and the sun was bright. I squinted against it, trying to find the men. Robin was sitting on a crate to my left watching Roland play with some sticks, Louis and Isaac were standing on the opposite side talking. They looked like they were fighting. I noticed a loaf of bread next to Robin and decided it was best not to disturb the boy's argument.

"Ah, so you're finally up. Roland was getting worried." Robin chuckled at me. He handed me the loaf of bread and I started tearing off hunks of it. It was dry but my stomach welcomed it.

"I didn't sleep well." I finished the loaf of bread but was still hungry. I looked around us for something else but there was nothing. I leaned back on the crate and let me head fall back, soaking in the sun.

"I wouldn't have guessed that after seeing how comfortable you and Isaac seemed this morning. Roland was so jealous I nearly had to drag him out of the room." Roland looked up at us at the mention of his name. He smiled wide and ran up into my arms.

"Mara, can I snuggles with you tonight? It's my turn." He looked me right in the eyes and I giggled. He really was the sweetest child.

"Your turn you say? Well who said people took turns snuggling with me." He turned and pointed to his father who burst out laughing. I put Roland down and told him to run along before turning to Robin, who was still laughing. "What the hell do you mean people take turns sleeping with me? I've never shared my bed with anyone in my life before last night."

"I know, I know. Roland was just confused as to why Isaac was in your bed. I said the first thing that popped in my head." We both leaned back against the boat again. We watched Roland play with his sticks, but my eyes kept wandering to Louis and Isaac who were still arguing.

"What's going on with them?" I nodded towards them.

"You should have seen Louis when he got up here this morning. He looked just like a storm cloud."

"Why? Because of me and Isaac?" I sat up as a cloud blew over the sun. "That was nothing!"

"Oh come on Mara, you're not blind." He looked at me like he was scolding me. I turned and stared at me feet so he continued. "How long have I known you three?"

"I don't know, about two years?" I talked down to the boards under my feet.

"And for those two years that I've known you, Louis has been in love with you. He is totally enamoured with you. And also in the two years that I've known you I've learned that Isaac does whatever his brother does. _That_ is why it's not nothing, Mara."

I scowled down at me feet. I knew deep down that he was right, but I didn't want to believe it. Louis and Isaac were my family. I loved them, but I didn't think I loved them romantically.

"If that's how they felt they'd say something." I still refused to look at him.

"Louis cares too much about making sure you're safe and okay to bother about his other feelings for you. Isaac is just stupid." We both chuckled. Isaac was definitely something special. I looked up across at the boys. They weren't talking anymore; they were just standing there staring off into the distance. "I'd also say Louis think you're too good for him."

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not too good for anyone! Have you met me?" I scowled at him. Me? To good for someone?

"Yes I have, and as your good friend and co-worker let me tell you that I can understand why he would worry that you're too good for him." He looked at me seriously. There was no way I was too good for anyone.

"Well as your good friend and co-worker, let me tell you that you're insane." I got up and stretched. My ass had gone numb from sitting on the hard crate.

"Mara!" Roland dropped his sticks and came running up to me. He ran straight into my legs and hugged them tight before pulling away and running to the other side of the boat. "TAG! YOU'RE IT!"

I laughed and chased him around the boat for the rest of the morning. Louis, Isaac and Robin all watched and laughed as I chased a screeching Roland around the boat. Just after noon we began to see the land on the horizon. We'd be back in the Enchanted Forest by early evening.

My chest was fluttering with nerves. My dream had me anxious to see who would greet us. Robin had likely tried to get news to his friends that we were coming, what if Cora had learned we were coming too? I'm sure she would do everything she could to keep me from my father again.

"I can see steam coming out of your ears you're thinking so hard." Isaac was suddenly next to me. He had a goofy grin on his face; clearly he was trying his hardest to be funny.

"I'm just thinking." I looked back out at the ever-closer land ahead.

"About your nightmare?" He leaned against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest. I turned my back to my anxieties and leaned on the railing as well. Louis, Roland and Robin were sitting opposite Isaac and I, they were showing Roland how to whittle a stick. Louis looked up towards me smiling, but it disappeared when he saw Isaac with me. He turned back to the stick, looking sad.

"Yea, my nightmare. It was really vivid, it really freaked me out." I stared at my feet, feeling guilty for making Louis feel bad; I hadn't meant to.

"Well, if you want I can join you again tonight. You seemed to sleep really well after I snuggled up to you." He elbowed me lightly. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I'd only ever seen Isaac like this with other girls at the tavern. He'd never acted like this towards me before. _Isaac does whatever his brother does,_ Robin's words floated into my head. I looked back up at Louis who was staring at me sadly.

"Isaac, I appreciate what you did last night, but where is this coming from? You've never acted like this towards me before." I was so confused.

"Well, I just thought, we're getting a new start in the Enchanted Forest. We can be whatever we want here. Be _with_ who ever we want. So I thought, maybe it's time I step up and let you know how I feel." I was speechless. I couldn't even think. He looked sincere and sounded sincere, but I had no idea how to process what it was he was saying. I thought for a second that maybe he was just saying it to try to get back at Louis for their fight this morning, but then I remembered that the fight had apparently been about me. There was just so much happening in my mind I couldn't find words.

"Well, that's great, leave me hanging. So this is why Louis hasn't done this."

"Excuse me?" That had brought me back to earth.

"Oh come on Mar, you know that we both love you. You ignore the little things we do, brush it off like it's nothing, but you know. At least I had the balls to say something. Louis just sits around hoping you'll come to him so he won't have to go to you."

"Isaac, listen. I'm happy that we're getting a new start, I am. But I'm having a hard time processing everything that you're saying to me. I like how we are. You and Louis are my family. I don't want to lose either of you. And I don't want anyone's feelings coming between the three of us okay? Just let me think." He stood back, seeming shell-shocked and hurt.

"Fine. You'll know where to find me after you've thought about it." He huffed and stomped off below deck. I felt bad. I looked over at Louis. He was still helping Roland with his whittling, but he had a stupid, goofy grin on his face. He looked up at me and smiled wide. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the approaching Forest.

"LANDHO!" The captain called from up behind the wheel.

We had arrived.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V**

Robin rushed us off the boat and into the forest. He explained that ogres were still prominent in the area and we needed to get the Sherwood Forest quickly. We made our way through the overgrown forest swiftly. It was nearly dusk and Roland was exhausted. Robin and I took turns carrying him on our backs. I was still somewhat sore and stiff from the day before but I didn't dare say anything or slow us down.

"We're nearly there. Another mile or so." Robin turned his head slightly to speak to us behind him. He had Roland on his back and sounded out of breath.

"Do you want me to take Roland? You sound tired." I jogged up to him and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"You're tired too Mara. I'll take him." Louis came up behind me and put his hand lightly on my shoulder. I turned to assure him that I was fine but his face told me there was no negotiating. I sighed and moved aside as he took Roland off of Robin's back.

"Well, well. The prodigal returns." We all turned, following the gruff man's voice behind us. He was dressed all in black and had a high red collar. He stood tall and proud and had a smug grin on his face. "Nice to see you've brought some other fugitives with you."

We all looked at each other, shocked. The fight in the tavern had happened just yesterday, yet somehow news had already reached the Enchanted Forest. I felt frozen in place. We'd come here to get away from what I had done, but instead it had followed me.

"My friends aren't fugitives Sheriff. I don't know what you're talking about." Robin chuckled as he handed Roland off to Louis, who passed him to Isaac way behind us.

"We've been waiting for your friends to return for about nineteen years. I actually would have been okay if you had just stayed behind." He spoke smugly. I turned to face him and saw that he'd been leering at my backside.

"I still haven't any idea what you're talking about, Sheriff." Robin angled his body so he was standing directly facing the Sheriff. He put his hand on his sword defensively.

"Cora. She put the word out several years ago that if three young adults arrived in our forest that I and every other person in the forest who valued their lives are to do away with the trio. Now you've kindly brought them back for me to do away with." He smiled and sauntered over to us. He was still leering at me.

"You're not touching them, Sheriff." Robin pushed ahead of us and began drawing his sword. The Sheriff didn't give him the chance to fully unsheathe it before swinging his fist into Robin's face. Robin hit the ground with a loud grunt. His sword fell out of its sheath and lay beside him.

"PAPA!" Roland shimmied his way out of Isaac's arms and ran to his father. Robin sat up as Roland reached his legs. His nose was bloody.

"Hey, don't touch him." I stepped in front of Robin and Roland and prepared to draw my swords.

"Aw, I see you've found a replacement for Marian. And this one is just as lovely." He stepped closer to me, so our bodies were nearly touching.

"I didn't replace anyone. He's my friend. And I protect my friends." He squinted at me as he examined me. "I suggest you turn around and go back to where you came from."

He chuckled at me and stepped even closer until his face was practically on mine. He pressed his body against me.

"And what will you do if I refuse, sweetling? Draw your sword and try to attack me?" He smiled and laughed at me.

"I wouldn't Sheriff. You don't know why we're back here." Robin said from where he sat in the dirt. I turned to him, shocked that he would say such a thing. We came here to escape what I'd done. He just shook his head at me, trying to assure me that he was doing the right thing.

"Yea. I'm the reason we're back. I killed a man." I held my head up high. I heard Louis and Isaac chuckle behind me. I turned to stare them down and their giggling turned to coughs. I rolled my eyes and faced the Sheriff again.

"Enough talk. I've been waiting to kill you for decades." The Sheriff nodded his head towards Robin who was still on the ground. "And Cora wants your three heads. It will be a shame to lose such a beauty, but I will do what I must." He cupped my chin hard as he finished. I pulled my face away and began to draw my sword when something occurred to me.

"What if we made a deal?" The Sheriff's eyebrows shot up and I heard Louis and Isaac murmuring behind me.

"What kind of deal?" He sheathed his sword as he stared me down. His eyes wandered slowly down my body. I was both regretful and thankful for choosing my tight pants today. I hoped they would get me the result I was hoping for.

"You're undressing me with your eyes. You want to sleep with me don't you?" He smiled coyly and licked his lips. It took all the energy I had left in me to not gag. He thought for a moment before nodding. I opened my mouth to give him my deal when I was suddenly jerked back. Louis had me by the arm and was dragging me back to where Isaac and Robin were standing.

"What is your problem? I was getting us out of this." I whispered, embarrassed by the way they were acting.

"Mara what do you think you're doing? You can't use your body like that." Louis looked appalled at what I was trying to do.

"Like what? I know I'm desirable. I did work in a tavern; I made most of my money there off of how I look. I used my body then and nobody said a word. So what's the problem now?" I put my hands on my hips, annoyed with the men. They all stood there silently until finally Isaac spoke up.

"It's just, what you're trying to do now. You don't have to use yourself like that Mara." All three of them looked down at they're feet as Isaac spoke.

" _Use myself_? What does that even mean? You think I'll be used up after or something? I'll be no good anymore? That is so stupid. I'm going to get us out of this. And nobody is going to have to die in the process. I'll find you when I'm done dealing with him, okay?"

They didn't look at me as I turned to walk away. I sauntered over to the Sheriff who had his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smile on is face.

"Get permission from your daddies?" He chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

"I don't need anyone's permission to do anything." I jabbed him in the chest with my index finger. "Now do we have a deal or not?" I put my hands on my hips again. _God men are infuriating_. He gave me one last once over before nodding his head and turning, leading the way through the forest.

We walked for about a mile before a small cabin came into view. I felt my heart was pumping up in my throat, and my stomach was up where my heart was supposed to be. I started to wish that maybe I should have just let the men kill him, but I knew deep down that this was the better option. I wasn't actually giving anything away to him; I wasn't giving myself away. I was using this man's lust for me to get us out of this mess. He and the others may think he was the one using me, but I knew damn well what I was doing; I was the one using him.

His cabin was small, just a single room. To my left was a dining area and to my right was a bed. The room was drab, and sort of sad looking. I thought about how lonely it must have been here the past twenty years.

"Can I interest you in some wine? Or water?" He seemed awkward now that we were alone. I felt uncomfortable too. I had never done anything like this before. I shook my head as I wandered over to the bed and sat down. He stood for a second before making his way over too. He pushed me down and held me there, kissing me hard. He pulled me up further on the bed and his hand slipped up my shirt to cup my breast.

"Mm, stop, wait, stop." I pushed him off of me.

"What, changing your mind? I'm not surprised." He rolled his eyes as he pushed himself off of me, out of breathe.

"No." I said and climbed up on top of him. His hands swiftly met my behind. "I need to know what Cora wanted with us. Why she wants me dead. And is my father still alive?"

He chuckled and shook is head at me.

"That wasn't part of the deal. You let me take you and I spare your lives, _that_ was the deal."

"Then I guess I'll just have to go." I shrugged my shoulders and started climbing off of him. His grip hardened against my hips. I pulled myself closer to him, so that our faces were nearly touching. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know or not?"

I felt him harden under me and I struggled to not vomit. His breathing got heavy again and he nodded.

"Cora is afraid if you and your father find each other again she'll lose her puppet. So yes, he is still alive. They're trying to get to wherever the Evil Queen took the rest of the Enchanted Forest." I sat up and thought about what he was saying.

"What are you going to tell her when she finds out we're here?" He thought about my question for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and pulling me back down to him. I resisted. "I want you to tell her that you killed us and burned our bodies."

"She'll see right through me. Besides, she wants prove. She wants to see your head." I squinted my eyes at him, dismayed. Then I lifted my shirt over my head, revealing my breasts. His shoulders went limp as he stared at them; he definitely hadn't seen such things in a long time. I felt him grow hard again. Slowly he started nodding his head. "I'll tell her I killed you and burned the bodies."

I smiled and bent down to kiss him again. He rolled over on top of me again, taking his end of our deal.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI**

I felt strange as I wandered through the forest in the direction the Sheriff had sent me. He had told me everything I needed and wanted to know, and all I had to do was take my shirt off. If that was all it took to get a man to talk, I was set for life.

"Hey! There you are." I looked up to see Louis jogging towards me.

"What the hell are you doing here? I said I had it handled." I ran my fingers through my hair, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I looked down at my clothes to see if they seemed dishevelled.

"I was starting to get worried. It was getting pretty dark out, and Isaac said it doesn't usually last that long." He looked down at his feet. "I know you can take care of yourself, Mar, but I'm still going to worry about you."

"Yea, well, I don't think anything lasts very long for Isaac, especially that." We both chuckled. It felt silly to not actually name it, but neither of us seems able to say what _it_ was. "Where's the camp?"

"There is no camp. We're staying in the Dark One's old castle. I guess he was taken in the curse." He seemed quite excited about the castle, so it must be nice. "Wait till you see all of the cool stuff he left behind."

He turned and we started walking together towards the castle. It was dark by the time we got there, which made walking through the woods much more difficult. We stumbled through until finally the giant shadow of the Dark One's castle came into sight. I stopped and stared at it in the moonlight. I don't think I had ever seen anything so big in my life. Only part of the moon shone behind it, because a giant steeple covered the rest of it.

"Impressive huh?" Louis had stopped a few feet ahead of me. I nodded my head. "Come on, you look like you could use some sleep."

I nodded again and continued to follow him. We were still about a hundred yards away but we had reached a clearing so the moon lit our way. I could see candles shining in the windows, showing that people did in fact live there. We went in through a giant double door. Isaac was sitting at the giant staircase that greeted us. He had his head in his hands and he was shaking his leg.

"There you guys are, god I was getting so worried." He got up and came over and hugged me tight. It was so strange how touchy feely he had become since our trip here.

"I'm fine. He was very gentle." I lifted my eyebrow at him, wanting to see his reaction. He sighed heavily through his nose and looked down at his feet. It felt good to tick him off.

"Oh, good you're back. We were all starting to get worried." Robin came down the stairs with a few of his men.

"I'm literally the only person here who has killed a man, but okay." I rolled my eyes at him as he hugged me too.

"It was getting late is all. We all know you can handle yourself in a fight." He tried to look as understanding as he could as he spoke, but I could still see the relief in his eyes that I had finally made it back. I rolled my eyes again.

"Mar, come on, you gotta see all the cool stuff the Dark One left behind!" Isaac started sprinting up the stairs. Louis shrugged his shoulders as we followed him up the stairs. We went down a long corridor before stopping in front of an old bookcase. I looked at Isaac expectantly and he held a finger up as he pulled down on one of the books. The giant case slowly moved to the left revealing a huge treasure room.

I felt cemented in place like I had when I'd first seen the castle. The room was absolutely huge. I couldn't believe that there was enough stuff in the world to fill it, but it was almost overflowing. Isaac sauntered in and turned back to me, looking very proud of himself.

"Isaac, how did you find this place?" I stepped into the room, shocked to see how far the walls stretched out on either side. There was torches set up along the walls, whose light shone against the different metals that were hiding in the room. There was gold, and silver, weapons and beautiful works of art. I wandered over to a pile of weapons, and sifted through the pile of knifes, and bows.

"Oh Mar! I found this and thought you might like it!" Isaac ran over and dug a strange sword set from the bottom of the pile. It was crossed in an X, with two thin blades sticking out of each end. He held it out for me to take. "I tried it on but it didn't fit, but I think it would fit you really well."

I cautiously stuck my arms through the holes of the holster. It was an inch or so too big, but it was comfortable. The thin swords fit perfectly between my shoulder blades.

"They're so light. I almost like them better than these huge things." I pointed to my giant dirks. They were so heavy around my hips. I lifted my arms up and pulled one of the thin blades out of their sheath. The blades were long and slender. I pulled them closer to my face to see how sharp they were; they could likely slice through anything.

"Very nice. Little John could probably find a way to tighten those straps if you like." Robin came through the door, taking one of the swords to examine it. "You could do a lot of damage with these things."

He handed it back to me and I put both swords back in their sheaths before removing them all together.

"You guys are talking like I'm actually going to take them. The Dark One probably cursed all of this stuff before the curse so no one could steal it. While he was gone." I gently put the swords back on the pile and turned to leave the room.

"Oh come on Mar, think of all the carnage you could cause with these things!" Isaac ran ahead of me, stopping me just ahead of the door.

"Me causing carnage is why we're here Isaac! I don't wanna cause anymore." I tried to push past him but he held his arms up in the doorframe, blocking my exit.

"Mar, those swords looked so badass on you. And you said yourself how light they were. Come on, those huge dirks are weighing you down Mar. We're in dangerous territory now, we saw that today. Take the swords Mar. I know you won't regret it."

We stood in the door for a moment, staring each other down. Finally I rolled my eyes and turned to go get the other swords.

"What are they even called? I've never seen any swords like these before. And I'm not getting rid of my other ones, they're replica's of the one's Bae gave. So I'm not giving them up."

"Katana's I believe. I've seen them before, long ago." Robin pushed past Isaac to leave the room. "Will you guys show Mara her room? You look exhausted."

He turned and left down the long hall. Across from the door was a huge window that looked out onto the forest. I wandered over to stare out at the bright moon. This fresh start was going to be fantastic. I could feel it.

"Come on Mar, your room is down this way." Isaac was closing the bookcase door as Louis motioned for me to follow him.

"Hey!" Louis and I turned as Isaac ran up behind us. He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tight. "Thanks for what you did for us today. We probably could have taken him, but I guess we don't have to solve everything with out swords."

He chuckled as he turned and went the opposite way down the hall. Louis and I walked in silence for several minutes. The corridor went on and on, seemingly never ending. Some of the Merry Men were occupying the many doors we passed. Finally Louis stopped and put his hand on the doorknob in front of us.

"Isaac and I said you would love this room. Robin thinks it belonged to the Dark One's maid." He opened the door to show a huge room filled with books. I wandered into the room and examined the stacks of books everywhere. "You said Bae taught you how to read on Neverland, but you haven't exactly had anything to read since we left there."

I wandered over to a giant canopy bed that sat against the wall opposite the door. I flopped onto it and sank deep into its feather mattress. I had never felt anything so comfortable in my life. I never wanted to get up again.

"I guess you're happy." Louis was leaning in the doorframe smiling at me.

"I'm never leaving this bed. It's so comfortable." I climbed up into the middle of the bed. "Thanks for thinking of me when you guys found this room. It's perfect."

I beamed at him. He and Isaac were so thoughtful when they felt like it.

"Well, I'll leave you now. I'm sure you're exhausted after everything that's happened the past few days. Sleep tight." He turned and left slowly. I sat there staring at the door as his footsteps faded down the hall. I kind of wished that he would come back, but I pushed the thought out of my head before I could call him. I had just discovered the power I could hold over men. The last thing I needed right now was to tie myself down to one.

I rolled over and picked up a book off of the bedside table. It was thick and heavy. I turned the oil lamp beside the bed up to light the pages up more and fell deep into a great world of faerie tales.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII**

I slept deep and dreamlessly. I had read until my eyes couldn't possibly stay open any longer. The feather mattress had engulfed me as I slipped into unconsciousness. I could have very happily slept for weeks straight in that bed, but someone pulling on my arm interrupted it.

"Mawa! Wake up Mawa!" The tugging on my arm became climbing and suddenly there was a tiny body on top of me. My eyes flew open to see Roland sitting on top of me.

"What is it friend? Oh no, I forgot to cuddle you last night, didn't I?" I pulled him down onto the mattress and snuggled up to him, already starting to fall back asleep. He wriggled his way out of my arms and hopped around the bed, tussling me around.

"Papa told me to come here to get you because there was bad people coming. He said to wake you up and then stay here until someone came to find me." I sat straight up in the bed, suddenly hearing all of the commotion going on elsewhere in the castle. I flung the sheets off of me and grabbed my new katana's; glad I had fallen asleep in my clothes.

"Roland, stay here okay? Snuggle up in bed and take a nap." I slipped the sheath around my shoulders as I ran out of the room. I rushed down the hallway, passed the never ending doors and the bookcase to the top of the staircase. Below hordes of pirates were fighting with the small group of merry men.

"Crap." I drew my swords and ran down the stairs into the cluster of fighting men.

I rushed into the battle, attacking the first man I came to. His brow was shiny and long curly hair looked heavy with sweat. His heavy claymore met my right katana so hard I was sure it would go right through it. The end of my sword hit the floor and the man laughed.

"I've only known one woman who was a good swordsman, and she's been dead for years!"

"Well get ready to meet another one." I brought my left sword down on his thigh, making sure not to cut him too deep. I wanted to show him what I was made of before I had fun with him.

He cried out and looked down quickly to examine the cut. I lifted my eyebrow and laughed.

"Only one good woman swordsman, huh?" He lifted his head to meet my gaze, with murder in his eyes. He swung hard at me and I blocked him with both of my swords.

We went back and forth for quite a while. My arms were burning and I was drenched in sweat when I was finally able to disarm him. I was about to cut into his leg again when he pulled out a deadly looking dagger.

"That's going to do a lot of damage, huh?" I laughed and swung my sword at his hand. He dodged my blow and lunged at me. I let out a loud screech as his dagger sank deep into my waist. It burned and I felt hot blood pour out of the wound. I wanted to collapse into the fetal position and cry. The pirate pulled his dagger out of me and pulled me against him. He put the dagger up against me neck. I could smell my own blood on it; it was sticky on my neck.

"Told you the only good female swordsman was dead." He whispered against my cheek. He held me tight against him, there was no way I could escape him, especially with this wound.

I searched the room for someone who could help me. Louis, Isaac and Robin all had their backs to me, but Isaac was only a few meters away. The pirate pulled the dagger harder against my neck, I could feel it slitting the skin and blocking my windpipe.

"ISAAC!" I screamed, tears in my eyes. He turned and his eyes grew huge.

"MARA!" He hollered at me as I closed my eyes and lost consciousness.

I opened my eyes slowly, expecting to see my mother. Instead, Friar Tuck was sitting over me, working on my wound. It hurt like hell. Tuck was packing it with something, but I couldn't get a good view of what it was. The more he packed in the more it burned. I tried to scream but before it could get out Tuck stuffed my mouth with a rag.

"You'll thank me when this wound doesn't kill you." He didn't look up from his work. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the pain.

After what felt like hours Tuck told me to sit up so he could wrap me up. It wasn't until he put his hand on my bareback to help me up that I realized that I wasn't wearing a shirt. I wanted to cover my breasts but I was too weak and in too much pain to actually care. He wrapped a long rag tightly around my waist and told me he would have to change it first thing tomorrow morning. He tossed me a fresh tunic before leaving the room. I slipped into it and looked around the room.

I wondered what part of the castle we were in because I was sure I hadn't passed this room last night. It was small and filled to the brim. I was sitting on a long, narrow slab that had a thin white sheet, covered in my blood, lying on top of it. Along the walls were shelves filled with vials and small chests containing medical paraphernalia. I felt sick to my stomach, but I wasn't sure if it was from pain or anxiety.

"Oh thank god, you're okay." Isaac rushed into the room and hugged me tight. I squeaked in pain and he released me quickly. He was white as a sheet, and had big dark circle under his eyes. He sat at the end of the slab. "I'm so sorry. I was just so worried. I didn't think I made it to you in time."

"Don't you dare get hurt like that again, okay? Neither of us can handle the thought of losing you." Louis hugged me lightly. His eyes were even darker than Isaac's. He stood beside Isaac, blocking the door.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on getting stabbed again in the near future." I tried to chuckle but it hurt too much.

"Mara? Thank god, your father would kill me if, well, had killed you." The pirate who had stabbed me stuck his head into room, behind Louis. I opened my mouth to scream but Robin stepped into the room behind the pirate.

"You don't recognize him, Mara?" Robin walked over and hugged me. "I'm glad you're okay. Roland has been worried sick about you."

"Where is he?" I didn't know how long I had been unconscious for. Hell, I didn't even know what time of day it had been when Roland had woken me up.

"Bed. It's just passed sundown." He pushed passed the boys, pausing briefly before heading out the door. "You really should be kinder to your old friend."

I looked at the pirate in the door, trying to figure out who he was when I finally figured it out.

"Lewis?" I stood up and tried to walk over to the door but collapsed in pain. Isaac caught me, helping me sit back on the tabletop. Louis gave his brother a dirty look as the other, older Lewis pushed passed him to come see me.

"You look just like your mother." He smiled sadly at me. I opened my arms and he hugged me. I let him squeezed me tight, even though I thought I might pass out again it hurt so badly. He had been like a second father to me on the Jolly Roger. When my daddy had to leave for business, or needed to rest because I had been up all night with nightmares, Lewis was the one who had looked after me. He had also taught me most of what I knew about sword fighting.

I pulled away, feeling my eyes well up with tears. He chuckled and wiped the wetness away.

"Why didn't my daddy come with you?" I asked as I sniffed through my tears.

"Cora must have known you were here. That's probably why she sent us. She had business in another realm that required your father's help and she sent us here in the meantime. I knew you looked familiar when I saw you, but we all believed you to be dead." I looked down at my feet as he finished. My daddy thought I was dead. I felt awful that I hadn't come back to the Enchanted Forest sooner.

"You'll tell him I'm alive, right? And where I am? I don't think I'll be able to get back to the safe haven any time soon." I tried to laugh but it hurt.

"Of course. But I don't think he'll be able to come find you Mar. Cora has him totally tied up right now." I wanted to cry again. I was so close to seeing my daddy, but this witch was ruining my chances of seeing him again.

"Tied up how? There's hardly anybody left here. What could she possibly be after?"

"She's trying to get to wherever her daughter's curse took the Forest. She hasn't been able to procure all of the items she needs for the spell that could take her and your father there."

"She's taking him away?" I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Only if she can find all of the ingredients she needs, and she's not very close. I can promise you that. Your father tells me everything." He tried to look reassuringly at me, but I didn't think I believed him.

Suddenly, Friar Tuck was back in the room with a bowl of steaming soup and a loaf of bread. The smell touched my nostrils and my stomach instantly grumbled. Lewis patted my shoulder before kneeling down to kiss me lightly on the top of the head.

"I'll tell your father where you are. And if he can't, I'll be back to see you as soon as I can." He smiled at me, and for the first time in a long time I felt hope that I'd see my daddy again. "That is, if he doesn't kill me when I tell him I stabbed you."

We all chuckled and he hugged me one last time before ducking out of the room. I felt heavy once he was gone. He was the closest I had been to my daddy in decades. Isaac, Louis and I sat there silently for a few moments. I broke the silence when I chuckled.

"Who'd have thought that my best friend and the man who was like a second father to me would have the same name?" I tried to laugh as Tuck handed me the bowl of soup.

"Someone thought that one through." Louis chuckled as he walked over to where I was sitting. He set down my bowl of soup and wrapped his arms around me, pressing my head against his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay Mar. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

He pulled away and left the room before I could say anything. Isaac was still sitting at the end of the slab; he looked uncomfortable.

"Come on, eat. You need it." Tuck handed me the bowl again and I slurped down the soup. It felt amazing and hot in my stomach. I hadn't realized how hungry I had been until I finished all of the food Tuck had brought me.

"Can I sleep in my own bed, or am I stuck here on this plank tonight?" I felt so much better after finishing my food. I was still sore and in incredible pain, but I didn't feel nearly as weak as I had before. All I knew was I was absolutely exhausted.

"You can stay in your own room, but I'll be in first thing tomorrow to change your bandages." He said as he rummaged around one of the shelves opposite the slab. He turned and handed me a vial with a thick clear liquid in it. "Take this, it will soothe the pain."

I nodded and tried to get up again. My legs felt incredibly weak, and the pain in my side was excruciating. Isaac's arm was quickly around my waist, holding me just below my ribs opposite my wound. I wrapped my arm around him and let him help me to my room. Thankfully, we were only a few doors up from it.

We reached my room and he opened the door for us. We limped our way over to my bed. He delicately picked me up and placed me in my bed.

"Do you need me to fix your pillows or something?" He moved to the top of my bed and helped me set the pillow up a little so I could sit up. "Do you need help to change your clothes, or, uh-"

He stood at the corner of my bed, looking at his feet as he spoke.

"No." I laughed. "I'm fine Isaac, thanks for all the help."

I had expected him to just nod and leave like his brother had, but instead he continued to stand there awkwardly.

"What is it, Zac?" His head shot up. I never called him that, no matter how much he asked me to. He thought for a moment before finally answering me.

"What if you need something in the night? Someone should stay here with you, just in case."

"Zac, really, I'm fine. Thank you though."

"Mar, I get that you're independent and you don't want our help, but you were just stabbed. You're lucky to be alive right now. You're going to have to swallow your pride and let us help you."

I sat there silently for a minute. He'd never talked to me like that before. His voice had even cracked a little.

"When did you end up being so smart?" He smiled but didn't answer. "So you're not just trying to annoy your brother by sleeping with me again? You actually want to stay here tonight to make sure I'm okay?"

"I didn't sleep with you the last time to tick Louis off. I knew it would, but that wasn't why I did it. You seemed really shook up by whatever it was that had happened in your nightmare, I wanted to make sure you were okay then, and that's all I'm doing now. I won't even sleep in your bed, so I don't roll over and knock you or something. I just wanna make sure I'm here if you need anything."

I thought for a minute. Last night I had stopped myself from asking Louis to stay the night with me, now here I was with his brother asking if he could stay. I knew he was right, that I was going to need help until I had healed.

"Mar? What do you say? Are you going to let me help you?" He was standing there at the end of my bed with his arms crossed against his chest. I sighed, feeling discouraged that I was going to have to rely on my idiot friends to take care of me.

"Fine. But you're just here in case I need something. I don't want you or Louis thinking that there's something else going on here." He grinned ear to ear. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You got it Mar. Hey, take the stuff Tuck gave you, and I'll go get you some water." He rushed out of the room and down the hallway. I had no idea where he was going. I reached over to the bedside table to get the vial Tuck had given me. I moaned a little as my reach pulled on my wound. I was out of breathe when I finally reached it and sat back down.

"Hey, you okay?" Isaac was back with a large glass filled with water.

"Yea, reaching for the vial proved harder than I had anticipated." I finally caught my breath and opened up the vial. The thick liquid had no scent. I took a deep breath and downed the vial. It was so bitter I nearly gagged. Isaac stood over me with a look of disgust. I tossed the vial across my bed and reached for the water. I downed the entire glass, but it still didn't get the taste out of my mouth.

"I'll uh, go fill this up again." He chuckled and left the room. I sat there wishing he'd bring something else to take the taste away.

My whole body felt incredibly heavy. I let my head fall back on my pillow, absolutely exhausted. I tried to keep my eyes open, fighting how badly I wanted to sleep because I wanted the water that Isaac was bringing me. They started burning and I finally gave in and closed them.

 **Killian**

Cora's means of transportation always left me disoriented. Being one place one second and another place the next was something I would never be able to get used to.

I was resting in my cabin when there was a light knock on the door. Lewis stuck his head in, looking very pale.

"A word, Captain?" I nodded my head as I sat up. He came in, making sure there was no one outside before closing the door and locking it.

"What is it, Lewis?" He looked very uncomfortable.

"I uh- did Cora tell you where she was sending us while you were gone?"

"I didn't know she was sending you anywhere. Why?"

"I found Mara." I sat there frozen. It had been decades. Decades since I had seen her and decades since I had even heard of her being in the Forest. I was positive she had died out there, trying to find me when she was only a child. I had given up all hope of ever seeing her again.

"What do you mean you found her? Where is she?" I stood and started gathering some things; if she was in the Forest then we were only a few days of travel apart, I was so close to finding her.

"She's in the Dark One's castle with Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Cora sent us there to eliminate them. She must know that Mara's back in the Forest." If Cora knew then I wouldn't be able to leave the Safe Haven, no matter how hard I tried.

"How did she find out? What happened when you got there?"

"Well, the Merry Men were severely outnumbered. We were clashing when she joined the battle. I should have known it was her; Captain, she looks just like her mother." I could only imagine how beautiful she was now.

"Wait, what do you mean you should have known it was her?" I turned to him; suddenly concerned that Lewis had maybe finished what Cora had sent him to do. He hesitated before finally opening his mouth.

"Well you see Captain, she attacked me and in the heat of battle I didn't think about how familiar she looked. She's really quite a good with the sword Captain. She uh, disarmed me and well, hm."

"Spit it out Lewis, what did you do?"

"Well Captain, she may have been stabbed." He wouldn't look me in the eye. I didn't know how to react. Part of me wanted to throttle him, wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze until he had stopped breathing; the other part of me wanted to collapse and weep. I fell back onto my cot, feeling like I weighed a thousand pounds.

"Did she survive it? Is she okay?" I closed my eyes, dreading what he might say.

"She was awake when I left, Captain." I let out the breath I had been holding. She was injured, but alive. I could live with that. "She wants desperately to see you. She won't be able to come here anytime soon though. I promised her that if you couldn't come to her, I would at least try."

"I'll go find her as soon as I can." There was a sudden, light knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, darling!" Cora's voice came through the door. Lewis' eyes grew and he shook his head, warning me not to let her in.

"I'm resting, can't whatever it is wait?" I was hoping she hadn't been eavesdropping. She had clearly sent Lewis and the rest of my crew to attack the Merry Men because she had found out Mara was there; she couldn't learn that Mara was still alive.

"No, darling. I think I've completed the spell; I need to try it on someone. Come on now, open up!"

"So you're planning on trying it on me?" I knew the woman was crazy, but she was absolutely insane if she thought she was using her spell on me.

"No, no. I found someone to use the spell on, but I need your help to subdue him when I tell him what I'm planning for him." I sighed and got up to open the door. She was standing outside expectantly. Her head tilted to the side when she noticed Lewis.

"I thought you said you were resting?" She lifted an eyebrow at me then shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever floats your boat I suppose."

She pushed passed me to come into the cabin. My head was throbbing. Between how exhausted I was, and Lewis' news of Mara I was in desperate need of a deep, long sleep.

"Lewis, what are you doing here? How did your, hm, eradication go?" I saw Lewis tense up. She must suspect something.

"It went well. I don't think they'll be bothering you anytime soon. I came because you hadn't told me Killian's daughter was among the three you specified you wanted dead. I wanted him to hear it from me that she was dead." My blood boiled when he said that she had specified three were to be killed. She had sent him specifically to kill Mara.

"Hear it from you because you were the one who killed her?" She crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't believe him.

"Yes ma'am. There's even still traces of her blood on the dagger." I wanted to vomit hearing him talk so nonchalantly about killing Mara. I'd imagine he felt the same; he loved her almost as much as I did.

"Hm, I see." She tilted her head again and tapped her finger against her chin, pondering something.

After a few moments she started nodding her head. She raised her hand from her chin. Before I knew what she was doing she flicked her wrist. Lewis' neck made a sickening crunching sound as it twisted around. His body dropped to the floor as I turn my head out the door to retch. Watching men die wasn't something that upset me, but I couldn't handle seeing my best first mate, and friend die like that.

"Oh come on. You're not that weak." Cora walked over to where I was bent over.

"Why the hell did you just do that!" I stood and hollered in her face.

"Calm down, Killian. He was lying to me! If he really had killed her you would have killed him for me. And let this serve as a lesson of what will happen to you if you try to pursue her. I'll send someone over to take care of the body, now come along." I watched her start to walk away in utter shock. I turned back to Lewis' lifeless body lying on my cabin floor.

"Don't. He's a pirate; I'll bury him at sea. Send someone to wrap the body and take it to the Jolly Roger."

"If you wish. Now come along." I felt completely drained. I didn't want to follow her, but I was terrified of what would happen if I didn't.

We walked over to her makeshift prison, heading down into the section that was underground. All of the cells were empty except for one. In it was the Sherriff of Nottingham. Besides a black eye he didn't seem very battered. Cora pulled a key out of one of her sleeves and unlocked the cell.

"So am I free to go now?" The Sherriff walked up to the door but didn't leave the cell, clearly hesitant about why we were here.

"No. As you may know I've been trying to get to the land with no magic where my daughter took the rest of the Forest in her Dark curse."

"Okay? What does this have to do with me?" He leaned against the bars of his cell, seeming slightly intoxicated. I was glad; I was in no mood to be here, let alone deal with an angry man who had all his wits about him.

"Well I think I may have perfected my spell that will take my companion and I to my daughter. The only problem is that I need to test it first. And since you lied to me about killing the girl and her companions I'm going to try it on you."

"You told _him_ to kill my daughter too? Why are you so insistent on her being dead? She hasn't done a thing to you." I couldn't believe my ears. Why would she possibly be so intent on Mara being dead?

"Because Killian, as long as she's alive there's something out there that is holding you back from your full potential. You're an incredible villain. If you find your daughter you'll go back to being the weak, soft pirate you were before Pan stole her from you. I wouldn't want that for you Killian, you're too important to me." She patted my shoulder maternally. She spoke sincerely and I thought I might retch again.

"You're absolutely heinous." I pulled away from her, turning to leave. She grabbed my wrist and yanked hard. I turned back to her; her face had turned deadly.

"Do you see what I mean? You want to go find her right now. You're not living to your fullest potential with her out there Killian! Forget about her. Now. Do you understand me? Do you want to end up like your dear friend Lewis? Now let's get back to business." We both turned back to our prisoner who was staring at us wide eyed. Cora motioned for me to take our prisoner.

I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back up out of the jail behind Cora. I walked behind him as we followed the trail out of the small village towards the beach. I glanced at my cabin as we passed it, I could see some men inside, wrapping up Lewis' body. I turned back to face our prisoner as we continued along. I noticed some red marks on his neck, leading down his back. I looked up at Cora, wondering if she had had him lashed, and why.

"Where did these come from?" I asked, poking them with my hook.

"A parting gift from your daughter. It would appear she has some interesting methods of getting out of hard situations." Cora spoke without turning to face us. I blew out a long breath. I didn't want to believe it, but I couldn't know for sure.

"She's not lying. I hadn't felt the touch of a woman in decades. I won't lie, I was tempted to make her stay with me after we had finished." I kicked him and he toppled over. Lucky for him we had reached the beach so he landed face first in the sand.

"Now was that necessary?" Cora turned to face us. She had her hands on her hips.

"Of course it was. I've had a bad day and he's the perfect punching bag." I grabbed the Sherriff by the collar and pulled him up onto his knees before stepping over to where Cora was waiting.

"What are you going to do to me?" I could see the fear in his eyes; it was incredibly satisfying.

"We're going to cast this spell over you and see if it sends you to the land with no magic where my daughter's curse took the Forest. If it works Hook and I won't be very far behind you."

"But-" He didn't get the chance to finish before Cora was casting the spell. A thick purple smoke began engulfing the Sherriff. He started screaming but it faded almost as soon as it had started. Within 10 seconds the Sherriff and the smoke were all gone. Both Cora and I stood there staring at the spot where the Sherriff had been for a long time.

"Hm." Cora crossed her arms over her chest as she wandered over to where the Sherriff had been just moments ago.

"What is it now?" My head rolled back, absolutely exhausted.

"Well, it just occurred to me. How do we know he actually made it? Judging by his screaming, it couldn't have been pleasant. Even if he did make it to Regina, who knows if he made it alive?" I rolled my eyes at her.

"Isn't that something you should have thought about before you cast the spell?" I could not believe she hadn't thought about this.

"No matter, I have a few other tricks up my sleeve. In the mean time, I'll need someone to take care of those Merry men. If I can't destroy them, maybe I can get some information out of them." I perked up, thinking maybe she'd send me. "Oh I know; I'll send Will. He knows Robin, it won't be suspicious if he shows up wanting to be a part of the crew."

She started to walk back to the village. All I wanted to do was go back to my cabin, collapse onto my cot and sleep until time stopped. But I instead had to take my ship out to sea and bury my best mate. This day could not be over soon enough.


	8. Chapter 8

I was bed ridden for weeks. The pain that I woke with the next day wasn't as excruciating but I was so stiff and sore that I didn't want to leave my bed. Roland was ecstatic when he came to my room the next day. Not only was I okay, but he was also going to get to spend all the time he had ever dreamed of with me. We napped and read and napped some more until I was finally well enough again to move around the castle a little bit. In that time I able to start teaching Roland how to read.

Isaac made a point of staying in my room until I was able to get around on my own. He slept on a lounge chaise that he dragged in from the ground floor of the castle. Louis tried to convince Isaac to take turns staying in my room, but Isaac insisted that he didn't need help. I never really needed him there, but I appreciated him being there nonetheless.

Two and a half weeks after the pirates attack Roland and I were sitting cross-legged in my bed reading a compilation of stories titled One Thousand and One Nights. We were only halfway through the giant book of stories from the land of Agrabah. We were just finishing the story of a young boy who finds a genie in an oil lamp when Robin came into the room, followed closely by Louis and Isaac. Robin's brow was furrowed as he walked over to the bed.

"Roland, would you mind going to find Little John? I think he had something for you." Roland looked at me expectantly and I closed the book, gesturing for him to go. He got up and ran out of the room.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost, Robin." He shook his head as if he was trying to shake something out of his hair.

"I feel like I did. Years ago a man named Will Scarlet joined the Merry men. He convinced us to steal some gold from Maleficent, only he planned to steal a looking glass. I never did find out why, but he almost got all of us killed." He ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated.

"Okay? And what does this Will Scarlet got to do with anything?" Louis seemed rather annoyed, as he had been since Isaac had started staying in my room.

"Well, he just showed up here, asking to re-join us." We all sat in silence for a minute, processing what Robin was saying.

"What are you going to do? Are you going to let him back?" I asked. I didn't quite see what the big deal was. Maleficent was gone, so was almost everyone else in the Forest, there was only so much trouble we could get into.

"I just don't know if I can trust him. He left as soon as he had what he wanted the last time; I'm worried that he's just here for something else and he's going to leave again."

"Well think about it Robin, how much trouble could he get us into? The scariest person left in the Forest is Cora and besides the pirates, she hasn't really bothered us." I shook my head at Robin; whatever this Will Scarlet had done must have been bad if Robin was this concerned about him coming back.

"Maybe she's the one show sent him. Things have been a little quiet around here. We're probably due for something bad to happen." Louis spoke from the foot of my bed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey, and maybe he's been with Cora this whole time. Maybe she's the one who sent him." Isaac stood beside Robin with a look of bewilderment.

"Well if he is I could probably find out." I shrugged my shoulders at them.

"Mara-" Louis started shaking his head at me.

"No, listen. The Sherriff not only promised to not attack us, but also told me anything I wanted to know and I didn't even have to take my pants off to get it. If this guy's as easy as that I don't see any issue with it."

"It probably wouldn't be that easy. If I remember correctly, he did have a woman in his life the last I saw him. I don't know if she's still around or what happened with them after he left, but if he is still involved with her then you may not be able to charm his pants off." Robin tried to smile and laugh but I could tell how uncomfortable he was with the idea.

"Well hey, there's no reason why I can't try. Tell him he can stay for a few days while you make up your mind and I'll see what I can get out of him. Then you can make up your mind about him." I climbed out of bed and stretched. "Besides, I need a reason to get up and walk around a little."

Isaac was quiet, staring at his feet. Louis gave me a hard look; I stuck my tongue out at him. I walked over to the door before turning to face the three men standing around my bed.

"So where is this guy? I'll go get started." I leaned against the doorframe and Robin stammered, trying to come up with an excuse as to why I shouldn't do this. Finally he sighed, and then spoke.

"He's downstairs in the main dining room. Said he hadn't eaten in two days." I glanced at my two other friends and smiled. They both looked very discouraged with me, Isaac most of which. It was oddly satisfying how crazy I was making him.

"Maybe I can give him something to nibble on." I winked at them and left the room.

I made my way down the hall to the grand staircase. It felt fantastic to be up and moving around. Roland had been quite content staying cuddled up in bed with me the past few weeks. My legs almost burned with pleasure as I made my way down the huge marble steps. I followed the smell of roasted poultry and loud laughter to find the great dining room. I hadn't actually been there yet since the pirate's attack had happened the day after I arrived.

I stepped into the huge room and stood in the door, taking a moment to look around. Empty, the room probably seemed huge, but with all of the Merry Men inside it felt incredibly crowded. Some of the men were finishing their dinners and getting up to leave. They greeted me with smiles and hugs.

With the men leaving I was able to find who I was looking for. I made my way to the end of the room where the stranger was sitting by himself. He was picking at a plate of half eaten roasted chicken breast. I didn't say anything when I sat down across from him; I just examined him. He stopped picking at his food and looked up at me; wide eyed.

"What?" He shook his head at me as he spoke.

"Who are you?" I let my face fall into my right hand as I continued to examine the stranger. He had big round eyes and short dirty blond hair. He looked exhausted and it was obvious that he hadn't eaten in more than two days.

"Who am I? Who are you? I was just sitting here, minding me own business, eatin' me supper when you showed up." I smiled, amused with him. I reached my hand out across the table.

"I'm Mara." He didn't shake my hand. Instead he stared at it like it might be diseased. I rolled my eyes at him. "I know every man in this castle. They've all been to see me in the past few weeks to-"

"Ah, so that's why you're here. Robin keeps you for all the men to keep them satisfied, does he?" I rolled my eyes at him again.

"I was about to say, they've been up to see me because I was stabbed a few weeks back. These men are my family, but you are a stranger. So, I ask again: who are you?" He opened his mouth to speak as Tuck set down a bowl of steaming broth and a small loaf of bread. I scowled down at the food then up to Tuck. "You know, I think I can handle solid food now."

"Bread is solid." He laughed at me. I scowled back down at the broth. It with the exception of some berries that Roland had brought me was all I had eaten since the pirate attack. My taste buds longed for something, anything other than broth and bread. "Broth will make you strong. It'll help you heal."

I rolled my eyes at him as I stood up and pulled my shirt up to expose my healing wound.

"I think I'm healed enough Tuck. Can I please have something else to eat?" Tuck examined my scabbed up stitches. It was still somewhat sore, but otherwise hadn't bothered me in almost a week.

"We'll see tomorrow." He straightened up and turned to walk back to the kitchen.

"Hey, could I maybe at least have some ale?" I flashed him my sweetest smile. He chuckled at me again but continued on his way. I sank back onto the bench and started slurping away at my broth.

"Well that worked out well for ya." The stranger crossed his arms on the table and watched me eat my soup. He had stopped picking at his chicken completely. I stuck my tongue out at him, making him laugh.

"You still haven't told me anything about yourself." I sucked down the last of the broth and reached over the table for the unfinished chicken.

"Hey that's mine." I shrugged my shoulders at him and started tearing away at the chicken. It felt so much better on my tongue than the broth had. I was halfway through the chicken when Tuck set a tall mug of ale in front of me.

"You are the loveliest person I know, Tuck." I looked up from my chicken, giving him my best smile. He grunted and turned to leave the room.

"Hey, could I get some ale too?" The stranger call to Tuck. Tuck turned, giving him a disgruntled look.

"Do I look like wait staff to you?"

"Well you're serving her!" He pointed to me as I took a big swig of my ale. It tasted like heaven.

"She is still healing from a stab wound, you are not. Would you like to be?" Tuck turned and left the dining room.

"Well, now that we're finally alone, are you going to tell me who you are or what?" I continued on the chicken, savouring every bite.

"There isn't that much to tell. I'm Will Scarlet; I'm from here, Sherwood. I was a part of the Merry men, then I left, and now I'm back." He looked away from me when he said that he left, I knew he was keeping something from me.

"Why'd you leave Will Scarlet?" I finished the chicken and took another long drink of ale. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten so much, but it felt so good in my stomach.

"Why do you care?" I could see him eyeing my ale.

"I already told you. I know every man here, but I don't know you. And I happen to like knowing who I'm living with." He thought for a moment, as I took another drink. My head was already starting to feel fuzzy.

"I left with a girl. Went to Wonderland. Now I'm back. Is that all you wanted to know? I'd like to get meself some ale." I waved for him to go to the kitchen, as I finished off the tall glass.

"Bring me another one! If I'm finally allowed to drink again I'm going to make the most of it! And, I want to get you talking." I started nibbling on my bread while I waited for Will to return. He wasn't gone long, returning with three more mugs of ale.

"Three?" I asked as he sat down, sliding one of the glasses over to me. He lifted a finger, silencing my next question as he down the entire glass. "Impressive. I'm sure your liver is proud."

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and sighed.

"I've had lots of practice." I laughed and started on my second glass.

"So you left Sherwood and the Merry men for a girl and went to Wonderland, now why are you back?" He paused for a moment, contemplating his answer.

"I'm back because Wonderland wasn't as wonderful as I thought it would be."

"Why? The girl you left for find someone else?" I took a long drink of my ale. Will just sat there staring at me. "Wait that's actually what happened?"

"I don't actually know what happened. All I know is that one minute we were together, the next she was gone."

"That's so awful. How could someone do something like that?"

"Don't know, but I'm over it. And now I'm back here." He took a long drink, finishing half of the ale in his glass.

"How could you possibly just move on like that though? I have to assume you were in love with her, if you left the Forest for her."

"It doesn't matter. Let's change the subject. Who are you? How'd you end up with the Merry men?" I finished off my ale before I started talking.

"I was in Camelot, with my friends when we met Robin. Then I messed up, and now we're here."

"Messed up how?"

"Well, I don't know if I really wanna tell you that." I got up from the table and headed towards the kitchen, in need of more ale. Will got up and followed me.

"I just told you about what happened to me in Wonderland, you have to tell me what you did." He ran ahead of me, blocking the door of the kitchen.

"I don't think you _want_ to know what I did." I pushed past him, entering the kitchen. It was much bigger than the dining room. Ornately carved wooden cupboards lined the walls and there was a long wooden table in the middle of the room. Opposite the door was the largest cook stove I had ever seen.

"The ale is on the other side of the table. I wonder if there's any more bread." Will stood behind me. I turned to give him a look; he had his hands on his hips, looking amused. I rolled my eyes are him. "So, are you going to tell me what you did or not?"

I sighed as I wandered to the other side of the room.

"I killed a man." I turned back to him. I stood there, staring at me for a moment then burst out laughing. He knelt over put his hands on his knees and laughed so hard he started coughing. I put my hands on my hips and raised my eyebrow at him.

"No, no. Tell me what you really did." I didn't answer him; I just let him laugh. Eventually he calmed down enough to realize that I hadn't been kidding.

"Wait, really? You don't look like someone who's killed anyone."

"Oh sorry, I'll remember to wear my murder pants next time." I turned to one of the cupboards, looking for the tall mugs.

"It's not that, I just- I don't know what I meant by that. You've really killed a man?"

"Yea. I was working in a tavern and there was a brawl, one thing led to another and a man left without a head." He shuddered. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Just a shiver."

"I doubt that, but I'll find out later. I found the glasses, now for ale." He came over to me and we poured ourselves more ale. Instead of going back out into the dining hall we stayed in the kitchen, sitting down beside the keg of ale.

We talked through the night, successfully finishing off the whole keg. As I stumbled back to my room the next morning, I wondered how we had even made it up to the top of the stairs the night before.

The afternoon sun was entirely too bright as I walked down the hall. I wished desperately that someone would have closed the blinds to keep the sun out, but I made do with just covering my eyes as I went.

I stumbled into my room to find Robin, Louis and Isaac already standing around waiting for me.

"What, is this the Merry men's new meeting room or something?" I wandered in and flopped onto my bed. It welcomed me, letting me sink deep into it. I pulled one of the thick feather pillows over my face, wishing the men would leave so I could go back to sleep.

"Well, can we trust him or not? Did he tell you if he's working for Cora?" Robin spoke first.

"Oh, he's definitely working with Cora, but I think we can use it to our advantage."

"How so? Cora's made it very clear that she wants you dead, Mar. How can he being here work to our advantage?" Louis spoke from the lounge chair in the corner, he sounded very concerned.

"Because we can use him figure out why she wants me dead, and get to know her plans. I mean, think about it, what are we even doing here?"

"Nothing, we're just living here. We're not thieving, or- she has no reason to come after us." I lifted the pillow off my face and sat up as Robin realized what it was I was saying.

"No reason what so ever to actually bother us. Will is just here because she can't seem to kill me. She wants to get information on us, but there's nothing to tell. Eventually she'll lose interest and Will can really be a part of the Merry men again."

"Will actually wants to come back to the Merry men?" Robin looks surprised but pleased.

"Yea, I guess the girl he left the Forest for wasn't all he thought she was and now he's back. Of course, Cora thinks that he's working for her now, but like I said, there's nothing to tell."

Robin stood at the end of my bed, rubbing his chin, deep in thought. I flopped back down and put the pillow back on my face. I wanted coffee desperately.

"Okay, we'll let him back into the Merry men, but if he tries anything out of line he's out." I lifted up my arm to give Robin a thumbs up. I heard the floor boards creek as he walked towards the door. "Come downstairs in a few minutes, we'll welcome you three officially into the Merry men as well."

His footsteps echoed down the hall. I laid still waiting for Louis and Isaac to follow him. Instead I felt someone flop onto my bed beside me. I lifted my pillow to find Louis lying beside me, looking very amused.

"How'd you get it out of him?"

"All it took was a keg of ale. I didn't even have to get naked this time." I let the pillow drop back on my head.

"Yea, well that didn't stop you _from_ getting naked." Isaac's voice was gruff and angry. He stomped out of the room before I had the chance to say anything to him.

"What's his problem?" I asked Louis, tossing my pillow to the side.

"He's a jealous idiot." He hopped off the bed, and headed for the door. I got up and followed him.

"And you're not?" We walked side by side down the hall to the grand staircase.

"It doesn't matter what I am, I know better than to try to get in your way and tell you what you can and can't do."

"See, that's why you're the smart one." We both laughed as we stepped into the dining hall. All of the Merry men were, including Roland. He ran right to me when we came in, hopping up into my arms.

"You're going to be a Merry man." He whispered into my ear.

"Now, do I look like a man to you?" He giggled and hugged my neck. Robin was standing to the left of us, in front of the giant fireplace with Will and Isaac on either side of him. Isaac looked miserable; Louis and I gave each other a look and giggled.

"So, are you three ready to become members of the Merry men?" It was only now that I noticed he was holding a short dagger.

"What's that for?" I nodded towards it.

"It's tradition that to join the Merry men we cut one's hand. We all have the same scar, it's just a sign of solidarity." The room had gone silent, listening to our conversation.

"Have I not bled enough in the past few weeks?" I was not excited about the thought of having my hand cut open.

"It's not that bad Mara, it'll be healed in a few days." I rolled my eyes and went to stand next to Will. He looked as hung over as I was feeling.

"Welcome Merry men!" The men in the room all hollered their greetings to Robin. The noise was overwhelming. "As you know, we've had some new additions to our clan, I decided today, it was time to officially welcome here! They've all shown us their worth."

Robin left his post in the center of our group and walked over to Louis.

"Our friend Louis is strong and smart, and will be incredibly valuable to our group." Louis held out his hand and Robin sliced it open, just enough for a thin line of blood to trickle out. He moved on to Isaac.

"Isaac is also strong, and a wonderful fighter. You'll be of good use if anymore pirates come knocking." Isaac held his hand out and Robin sliced it, just like he had Louis'.

"We all know Will already, we're glad to have you back." Robin put his hand on Will's shoulder as he spoke. It was obvious that despite the bad history, he was still happy to have Will back. He looked down, waiting for Will to put his hand out, but Will didn't move.

"You've already cut me, mate. Why d'ya gotta do it again?" Robin sighed, waited for a moment then chuckled and turned to me.

"Mara, you're an incredible fighter, and incredibly fun to have around. We're all glad to have you with us." I still had Roland in my arms, so I just stood there giving Robin a look.

"I still think bled enough the past few weeks." Robin sighed again.

"You're also very difficult Mara." Everyone in the room laughed. I shifted Roland so he was resting on my hip and I could hold out my left hand. He sliced it as delicately as he could. It burned and a thin line of blood welled up, pooling in my hand. "So, with that done, let's celebrate!"

We drank into the night, celebrating with our new family. Finally I felt like I really had a real family.


	9. Chapter 9

"Mara, I was wond- oh my god." I didn't even move when I heard Isaac duck his head in and out of my room. "You know, you should really put something out on the door knob or something when Will is in there with you."

"What?" Will's head popped up from under the pillow when he heard his name.

"It's not like he stays the night often Zac." I rolled over onto my back. It had been another late night of drinking with Will. It felt like every night had been like that since Will had arrived a few years ago. We became fast friends, much to Isaac's chagrin.

"No, but he stays often enough." I couldn't tell if Isaac had intended on me hearing him or not. Regardless I rolled my eyes. I pulled the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around myself.

"Hey, I'm cold now!" He yelled as I made my way across the room.

"So put your clothes on moron." I opened the door and stepped out to find Isaac looking very annoyed. "What?"

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped short, giving me a once over. He stammered for a minute before throwing his head back in frustration.

"Oh never mind." He turned and stomped off as he usually did when I did something he didn't approve off.

"What's his problem?" Will stepped out of the room behind me. I shrugged my shoulders.

"He's Isaac?"

"That is definitely a problem." I chuckled and turned, pushing Will down the hall.

"Go away, I'm going back to bed." I turned to go back into my room when Will grabbed my arm.

"I was thinkin', how would you like to go to the Evil Queen's castle to see what jewels she left behind?" His eyes shined at the prospect of thieving again.

"What about the green chick?"

"Word is she's gone back to where she came from for a few days."

"It's a whole day's journey Will, I don't know."

"Oh, come on Mara. I know you could use some time out of this castle. It'll be fun, I promise." I rolled my eyes, pushing past him to get back into my room. I went to the corner and found a bag. "Yes. I'm going to run down to the kitchen to get some provisions. Meet me outside the castle in ten minutes."

Will ran out of the room and down the hall. I went around the room finding a few extra changes of clothes. We were only going to be a day, two at most; it wasn't like I needed to many changes. I grabbed two pairs of tan pants and two loose tunics and stuffed them in the bag. I looked around my room trying to think of if I was going to need anything else.

I dressed myself and pulled my swords over my shoulders. I turned to do one more check that I had everything I needed. My eyes fell to the corner of my room, where my old swords leaned against the corner. I wondered if I could possibly be too armed. Deciding that the answer was no, I went over and tied one of them around my waist. It had been years since I'd even needed the two I kept on my back, but if Will and I might be going up against flying monkeys and a green witch, I might need the extra weaponry. Deciding I had all I was going to need I made my way down to the main door. I leaned against it as I waited for Will.

"Marwa!" I turned to see Roland running to me at full speed. I knelt down to catch him, squeezing him tight.

"What is it friend?" I sat down and he climbed up into my lap.

"Can we go wead?" His eyes shone up at me. I felt bad for leaving.

"Sorry friend, Will and I are going away for the night. I'll be back some time tomorrow though okay? And if I don't get home until night time, I'll come and wake you up for snuggles okay?" I tickled him and we sat there giggling. "How about, you go ask Louis or Isaac to teach you how to use a sword huh? That'll be fun!"

His face lit up even more and he got up to race off. I grabbed his arm before he had the chance to get too far and pulled him into a big hug. He giggled loudly.

"Hey, go tell your daddy that I'm going okay?" He nodded furiously and was off again. Will stepped out of the dining hall as Roland finally made it to the top of the grand staircase. He gave me one last look before racing down the hall to find his father.

"Ready to go?" Will kicked my foot as he reached me. I got up and readjusted my bag and swords.

"I guess so." I pushed the giant ornately carved door open.

The forest was not as easy to get through anymore. Although time had stood still in the Forest, the foliage had continued to grow. Most paths and roads had grown over in the roughly twenty-eight years that the curse had been in effect. In the month or so since the curse had apparently been broken some people had ventured outside of the safe areas and began clearing out some of the roads. There weren't many left, but there were enough that the forest was beginning to look like its old self.

Will and I walked the whole day. If we had had access to horses the journey would have been finished in half the time, but we were not so fortunate. The roads were still rough from decades of not being used. It made the trek feel much longer than it actually was. The sun beat down on us, shining in our eyes throughout the morning and burning our necks by the afternoon.

By evening we had made it to the castle. It was striking against the mountains. The dome shaped castle ended with a sharp point at the tip of the sky. It was covered almost completely in glass that reflected the setting sun into our eyes.

"Why is it so pointy?" I shielded my eyes from the glaring sun.

"Did you ever meet the Evil Queen?" I shook my head at him. I hadn't been in the Enchanted Forest before the curse, so I only knew of her from stories that I'd been told. "Come on, let's find somewhere to camp, it's going to be dark soon."

I followed Will off the road and into the trees; not far off we found a small clearing. We both dropped our bags and stretched. I wanted nothing more than to collapse and go to sleep. My muscles ached. My feet throbbed. I wished I were back at the castle, reading with Roland.

We wandered around the trees, finding branches and small fallen logs to build a fire. Will took care of getting the fire going while I tried to get comfortable against a giant fallen log. My legs and feet felt as if they'd fall off as I sat in front of the small fire, absorbing it's warmth. Will pulled out a loaf of bread and some fruit. We ate in silence as the sky darkened. I wished I had thought to bring a blanket as the wind began picking up. I didn't understand how Will had lived like this in Wonderland.

"So, what are you going to tell Isaac when we get back?" Will's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"What do you mean? I don't need to tell him anything. Robin knows where we are, so will everyone else." I shrugged my shoulders and kept staring into the burning fire.

"He's not going to be very happy that you left without telling him. Louis probably more so, but he won't actually tell you."

"What the hell are you talking about Will?"

"I'm talking about how you keep ignoring the fact that those two are madly in love with you." I turned to meet his gaze. I had already been over this with Robin years ago, when we had come back to the Enchanted Forest, I didn't want to hear about it again.

"I'm not talking about this." I turned back to the fire, crossing my arms over my chest as a cool breeze blew through the clearing. "Why do you even care?"

"I care because I'm positive Isaac is sitting back at the castle plotting my murder. Louis might be with him." I snorted at him.

"I think it would take a lot for Louis to actually hurt anyone. It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does Mara. You're not being fair to either of them. You need to make up your mind on which one you want to be with."

"And if I don't want to be with either of them?"

"Then you're not only going to break their hearts, you're selling yourself short." I met his gaze again. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Am I really getting lectured on falling love from the guy who had his heart broken so bad that he had Cora tear it out of his chest?" He looked away when I brought up his past heartache. I immediately felt awful for it, despite having made my point.

"Yea, I did have my heart broken, but being in love is the best thing that could ever happen to you." He looked down at his hands, wringing them anxiously. "The time you spend being in love, and I mean, really in love, makes up for the pain of losing it."

I watched him for a minute. I couldn't understand how he was talking so emotionally without his heart. He had told me long ago about losing his love Ana, and having Cora take his heart so he didn't have to feel the pain anymore. One night, a few months after he had arrived he had stumbled into my room in the middle of the night, drunk and weeping. He had been drinking and decided he wanted his heart back in his chest, but had regretted it instantly. He begged me to hide it from him so he wouldn't make the mistake again.

"I don't want to fall in love." I was the one who looked down at my hands this time.

"Why not?"

"Because Will, my daddy watched my mother's heart get torn out and crushed, then just a few years later I was kidnapped. Ana left you for no reason that either of us could figure out. Robin lost Marian. Everyone I know has been crushed because they let themselves fall in love. They let themselves get close enough to someone that they got hurt. Being taken from my daddy was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. He is the only man I want and need in my life. I don't care about love; I don't need it. I just need to see my daddy again."

We stared at each other in silence for a few moments, both stunned by my outburst.

"You're selling yourself short, Mara. And I can promise you that one of those two is the one you're meant to be with."

I huffed, angry with Will. I knew he was right, that I wasn't being fair to Louis or Isaac, but I didn't want him to be.

"The reason this works, you and I, is because you can't love and I don't want to. It's perfect. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep."

I rolled over, putting my sack under my head. I pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging them tight.

"Mara I-"

"I'm done talking about this Will. Let me sleep." I heard him let out a sigh, but he didn't move.

The breeze picked up into a cold wind. I regretted not packing any heavier clothes. I squeezed my knees a little tighter to my chest and wished for sleep to take me. I hoped my mother would come to me in my dreams and tell me what I needed to do.

Instead I woke up the next morning damp, cold and stiff. Will was snoring loudly in my ear; he had his arm tucked under my torso, holding me tight against him. I shivered, making sure I elbowed Will in the ribs. He jolted back, away from me.

"What the hell was that for?" He rolled over, laying out on his back and stretching his arms out.

"You were touching me." I stood up, stretching my stiff legs, back and arms. My clothes clung to me, damp from the night's dew. I wanted to change out of them, but I knew the clothes I had packed would be equally as gross as the ones I had on.

"You usually like that." Will chuckled at me. I rolled my eyes at him and started walking towards the edge of the clearing.

"If I didn't ask, don't touch." I strutted back over to where my sack was laying. I strung it over my shoulder and turned to Will. "So, are we doing this or not?"

He hopped up from where he was sitting, stuffing his face with some bread.

"Mmm," he swallowed his mouthful before trying to speak. "Let's go."

He tried to hand over his half eaten bread to me as he passed me, but I wasn't hungry. My stomach churned with nerves about what we might be facing in the Green witch's castle. Her flying monkeys were not fun to deal with, and she was worse.

When she first arrived, she had gone to visit each and every person inhabiting the forest, making sure we all knew what kind of power and magic she was harboring. I was really starting to regret letting Will talk me into this.

I followed him, not back to the road, towards the castle but off to the side of the clearing, out into the woods. He seemed to know where he was going so I didn't bother trying to object; Will had much more knowledge of the Forest than I did. We walked a few feet into the Forest when Will started stomping around the fallen leaves. I stood still, watching him with my eyebrow lifted when suddenly his stomps started echoing throughout the trees. He bent over, brushing the leaves away to expose a heavy looking steel trap door. Satisfied with his find, Will reached for the handled, stepped off the door and started to pull. It creaked, trying to resist Will's tugging before finally letting go.

I wandered up to the open trap. The tunnel below was completely black. I was sure even if we did take a torch into it the darkness would swallow any light the flame would give off.

"We can't go in there." I shook my head at Will. We had come all this way for nothing.

"Yes we can. We'll just each take a torch and it'll be fine." He jogged back to our camp, and grabbed two smoking branches off the smoking fire pit. He placed them end-to-end, so the already scorched ends were touching and found his flint. He struck the flint until the already smoldering branches caught flame. He hopped up and brought me one of the torches.

"Why do I feel like we're still not going to be able to see anything down there?" Instead of answering me, Will handed me his torch and hopped into the tunnel. With a sigh I knelt down and handed it back to him. I lit up his face as well as the tunnel.

Despite having been unoccupied for nearly three decades, the tunnel looks clean and dry. Floor to ceiling was tiled in white porcelain that reflected the light of the torch. I could see that the walls were lined with torches just waiting to be lit.

"Come on, I'll catch ya." Setting his torch down, he lifted his arms, waiting for me to jump into them. I rolled my eyes and handed him my torch.

"That's not exactly why I'm hesitant. Move over, I'm coming down." Will chuckled and stepped out of the way for me to jump. I landed hard on the tiles echoing loudly down the tunnel.

We started making our way down the tunnel, lighting torches along the wall as we went. The tunnel went on for several miles before ending in abruptly with a ladder leading up into the castle's basement and dungeon area. The cells in the dungeon were, not surprisingly, all empty. Those who hadn't been taken in the curse kept to themselves; meaning there was very little crime in Forest now.

We quickly made our way up into the body of the castle, taking care of any disgusting monkey's who tried to stop us as we went. We stuffed our sacks with any jewels we could find around the main hallways before trying the surrounding rooms. Almost every jewel we found was emerald, or some shade of green.

The castle was so huge that after an hour, we still hadn't covered even a quarter of it. We had decided to check out one more room, the master bedroom when I felt a shock go through me and suddenly I wasn't able to move.

"Well, who do we have here?" The woman's voice came from behind me. The clicking of her heals echoed through the room as she made her way over to me. I could hear the panting and hoping of a monkey behind her. She made her way around me so I could see her face. Her dark green skin was shocking, despite the fact that I had seen it before. Her face was stern as she examined me, then Will. "Since when do I have to worry about intruders when I plan to go away?"

She looked between Will and I waiting for an answer. My eyes wandered to Will who was staring at me, looking incredibly uncomfortable. Turning my eyes back to the witch, she flicked her wrist and Will and I were free. We both gasped and stumbled, as we regained ownership of our limbs.

"Well, let's have it before I kill you both." The witch waved her arm at us impatiently as she spoke. I turned to Will, begging him to fix this.

"Well, you see, um, what did you say your name was?" Will stepped up between me and the witch, trying his best to be suave. The witch didn't answer. Clearing his throat Will continued. "Okay. Well, my friend Mara and I decided that since you were going to be away, it was the perfect opportunity to finally see the inside of this fantastic castle."

The witch turned her attention to me, apparently seeking a confirmation. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to convey that I had no idea what he was doing.

"Well since you were clearly stealing from me, I only see fit that you both die." She lifted her hand, preparing to magic us to death.

"Wait! Wait." I pushed my way in between Will and the witch. "We'll put the stuff back, and we'll leave. No harm, no foul. You'll never see us again. I promise."

She gave me a once over, looking at me fiercely. Her green eyes grew darker as she stared at me. She couldn't seem to make up her mind about us. I turned back to Will.

"I swear if you get us killed before I get to see my daddy again, I am going to make your life hell, while we're in Hell."

"Underworld." I turned to the green witch as she spoke. Her expression had changed; from angry to somber.

"What?"

"It's the Underworld you'd be going to. How long has it been since you saw your father?"

"How do you-"

"It doesn't matter!" The witch yelled at me. She took at breath and then continued, more calmly. "How long has it been since you saw your father?"

I stood in stunned silence for a moment before I was able to find my words. I wasn't sure what to tell her.

"Well, um, I guess since I was six. Why?" She stared hard at me, not letting me look away.

"Did he abandon you?" Her upper lip quivered when she said abandon.

"No." I barely heard my own voice as I spoke. I cleared my throat and tried again. "No. I was taken. Kidnapped. I- I haven't seen him since."

She looked like she was fighting back tears. She turned away from Will and I, and I heard her sniff.

"Go. Find your father." She waved us off. Will and I dropped our bags and turned to leave, but the witch grabbed my arm; squeezing it as tight as she could. "And if I ever see either of your faces again, I will kill you."

We both nodded and left as fast as we could. We found the main entrance and rushed out of the castle into the mid morning sunlight. We didn't waste any time getting back to the Dark One's castle, arriving back just after sunset.

"I am going to go take the longest, hottest bath I have ever taken." I dropped my sack of still damp clothes by the door, refusing to carry it any further. I dragged my feet up the stairs, making my way to the bathroom. I was so tired I was almost tempted just to go crawl into bed.

"Mara! Oh my god you'll never guess who was here when you were gone!" I turned to see Louis and Isaac running full speed down the hall towards me.

"Can it wait? I'm so tired, I just wanna take a bath and go to bed." I leaned against the wall; my body was giving up on me.

"No, Mar. It's so important. You have no idea." Louis' eyes shone with excitement.

"It's your brother, Mar. He was here! And he knows where your dad is!" Isaac rushed through his words, wanting desperately to get it all out. I stood straight up, all exhaustion disappeared.

"Where is he? Is he still here?" I felt out of breath, I was so excited at the thought of being so close to seeing my brother and daddy again.

"He left. They're on Neverland. He said his son had been taken then so he needed to get there." Louis looked somber as he spoke. My breath caught in my throat when he said that Bae's son had been taken to Neverland. I knew immediately that Pan had something to do with it. I also knew that I needed to get there to help him.

"How did he get there? What happened?" I rushed to my room, finding a new bag and stuffing it with anything and everything I could think of.

"He tricked the shadow here, using Roland. When the shadow went to grab Ro, Baelfire pushed him over to Robin and the shadow took him. Then he was gone." Louis stood at the end of my bed as he explained what had happened.

"Do you think we could do it again? Trick the shadow here?" I stopped packing my overflowing bag and turned to the boys. They gave each other a look before turning back to me.

"Mar, I stayed in your room with you for a month after you got hurt. I know how bad your nightmares are, and I know that shadow is a big reason for those nightmares. Are you sure you want to summon him here?" Both boys looked concerned as Isaac spoke. They were absolutely right; anytime I had a nightmare it involved either the shadow or the crocodile. But if summoning the shadow was going to get me to my father, then that was what I was going to do.

I stepped over to the end of the bed and gave Isaac a big hug, before turning and giving the same to Louis.

"I know you guys worry about me, and I understand why you're worried; but if I have the chance to see my daddy again, I have to take it." We stood in silence for a few moments.

"I'll go find Robin. Hopefully he hasn't put Roland to bed yet." Isaac rushed out of my room, leaving Louis and I alone.

"Okay, where did you guys do this before? Let's go." I grabbed my bag and started out of the room, but Louis caught my arm.

"Come with me. I have a better idea. Maybe we can save Roland from shadow filled nightmares." He stepped in front of me and walked out of the room, heading down the hall towards his room. I followed him, not sure what the hold up was.

I stood in the door of his room as he rummaged around on a bookcase across from me. The case actually had very few books on it, but a there were a several different sized boxes scattered along the shelves.

Finding what it was he was looking for he turned and presented me with a small box. I lifted the lid gingerly, not sure what would be inside. My breath caught in my throat again.

"It was too dangerous to go back to the safe haven with Cora around. Now that your dad is in Neverland I'm guessing tha-"

"Cora's gone." I pulled the small silver bean out of the box. It was even prettier than I remembered. I'd only ever seen one before; when Louis and Isaac had come to Neverland to rescue me.

"Yea, which means, we not only know where he is, it's finally safe for you to go after him." He stepped a little closer to me, so he was almost touching me. He plucked the bean out of my fingers and placed it softly back into the box. "But, you're exhausted, so go take your bath, go get some sleep. _We_ will go in the morning."

I pulled my eyes away from the closed box to meet his. I couldn't read his expression; he seemed somber, but his eyes shone brighter than they had earlier. I wanted to argue with him that I needed to go now, but I was suddenly hit with a wave of butterflies in my stomach. It took everything in me to pull my eyes away from his.

"Um, can I keep this with me? Until tomorrow?" I looked back up at him; he was staring at me still, the slightest smirk on his mouth. His eyes flicked down to my lips for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"Yea, of course. I'll go tell Isaac the change of plans." He pulled his fingers through my hair, resting his palms on my cheeks. He pulled me into a hard hug, kissing me on the top of the head as he did so. "You're going to see your dad tomorrow."

He gave me one last squeeze before leaving the room. I slowly made my way back to my room. I sat heavily on my bed, taking the bean out to look at it. It glittered in the flickering candlelight. My freshly packed back sat beside me; my swords still hung from my shoulders. The castle was silent.

The bean felt like it was quivering in my fingers. It seemed to already know where I needed to be. Without thinking I crushed it in my palm and tossed it to the floor. Before thinking I grabbed my bag and jumped into the portal. I couldn't wait any longer.


	10. Chapter 10

**Louis**

I tossed and turned all night. I couldn't stop thinking about how Mar had looked at me. For a split second she had looked at me the way I had been looking at her for years. The only wished I had kissed her. I had had the perfect opportunity to do it, but I hadn't taken it. I was so conflicted about how last night had gone, but I knew I could make up for it today. With the magic been I'd kept over the last twenty years, Mar would get back to her father and I'd be the one she'd have to thank for it. I knew it was beyond time for me to finally tell her how I felt about her, I hoped now I'd finally have the chance to do it.

I made my way down to Mar's room, excited for what could come out of the day. We were going back to Neverland, and she was finally going to get to see her dad again. I'd finally work up the courage to tell her how I feel and if last night meant anything, she'd hopefully feel the same about me. Today was going to be good.

But of course Isaac had made it to Mar's room before me. He was sticking his head out of her room as I approached it.

"Didn't you say Mar was waiting for us?" He looked both worried and annoyed.

"Yea, why? She's not here?" I jogged the rest of the way to the room to find it empty. "She isn't downstairs eating breakfast?"

"Nope, and Will said he hasn't seen her since they got back last night." I wandered over to her bed as Zac talked. The bag she had been packing was gone. I turned to the corner where she kept her swords; they were gone too. I turned back to Zac, who was realizing what I just had. "You don't think she…"

"Damn it Mar."

 **Mara**

I landed in the old hut Bae and I had lived in while we were in Neverland. I hit the dirt floor on my hands and knees, retching onto the floor of my old home from vertigo. I got up, looking around the hut. It was just how I'd left it. My bed sat on the left of the small space, still disheveled from Louis and Bae's wrestling match. I smiled to myself, remembering how protective Bae always was of me, remembering how protective Louis and Isaac were of me.

I slipped down onto the bed. Thinking about Louis; about what had happened last night, about how mad he was going to be when he woke up tomorrow and I was gone. Maybe I should have waited. My body felt like it weighed a ton. I thought for a split second that maybe I should have waited like Louis told me.

I leaned back, resting my head on the wall. I didn't know what to think about what had happened last night. I'd lived with Louis most of my life and never looked at him, or thought of him as more than just a friend before. But something had happened last night. Something that I knew would change things between us. Will was right; I was going to have to choose between either Louis or Isaac.

I pushed the thoughts of what was sure to be an impossible decision out of my mind and sat up. I could tell people had been in here. While the hut looked mostly the same, things had been moved. The coconut that Bae had fixed to trap the shadow and keep it away from me was gone. Bae must have needed to trap the shadow to help get his son back.

I wandered around the small hut, looking for clues as to where I might find Bae or my daddy. But besides the missing coconut nothing else seemed to be touched, or taken. I decided my best bet was to find Tinkerbell. She always seemed to know everyone and everything about the island; if she had seen them, I'd know where to find who I was looking for.

I made my way through the forest, guided by the bright moonlight above me. I felt sadly nostalgic as I pushed overgrown palms out of my face. The last time I'd walked these paths I'd been short enough to avoid them, but now I was tall enough to be walking through them. I smiled remembering daddy swearing at them as he cut through them when we would meet with Pan.

I quickly journeyed through the jungle to Tink's tree house, not wasting any time. It had taken several hours to get there when I was younger but I was able to make it in much less time now.

"Tink? Tinkerbell!" I called out to her as I climbed the ladder up into her tree house. I fumbled around in the dark trying to find a candle and something to light it with.

Finally getting a candle lit, I looked through the tree house, finding it empty as well. I slipped down to the floor, sitting with my legs crossed. I tried thinking where on earth Tink could be at this time of night. She wouldn't be with Pan or the Lost boys. She could be in a camp with my daddy and the people he'd come with, but not knowing where that was I was at a loss.

I sat there in the candlelight, wishing desperately that I had waited and brought Louis and Isaac with me, or at least talked them into leaving right away. I realized how naïve I had been diving head first into this by myself. I let out a cry as I dropped my head into my hands a wept. I wept until my throat burned and my eyes were swollen. I had come so far and I had missed him. I had missed my father and what was worse is I had hurt my friends in the process. I didn't know what I was supposed to do next, or how I was even going to get off this island.

I cried for well over an hour before deciding I needed to go out and try to find someone on the island. I almost let myself fall asleep on Tink's floor, but my desire to find my father overpowered my exhaustion.

I slipped down the ladder, stopping at the bottom to catch myself from falling; my head was spinning so badly.

"She's gone." I spun around, to find a girl my age standing a few feet away from me. Her long black braids shone in the moonlight, making me recognize her right away.

"You're the girl I kept seeing when I was a kid." She smiled and nodded. "Who are you? Where is everyone?"

Her smile faded when I asked my last question.

"I'm Tigerlily. My tribe has inhabited this island for many centuries." She paused and stepped over to where I was standing. She took my hands, closing hers tightly around them. "They've all gone. They left early today."

I felt like I couldn't breath. I had run away in hopes that I wouldn't miss my daddy and I did anyways.

"How did they leave? How did they get off the island?" Tigerlily released one of my hands, turned away from me, and pulled me away from the tree house. We walked off the trail and into the forest, pushing our way through bushes and trees. "Are you going to tell me anything?"

She didn't speak as she dragged me through the moonlit forest. I struggled to keep up with her, tripping over roots and branches. We went along for about ten minutes before the smell of fire and cooking meat caught the attention of my nostrils.

We stepped into a large clearing, illuminated by the light of several campfires. There were clusters of people surrounding the fires, cooking, eating and chatting. There were long buildings lining the edges of the clearing, dogs ran around barking and chasing each other. I stood and stared, taking in all of the sights and smells of the encampment. I had lived on this island for two decades and never known this camp existed.

"How long have you people been here?" I turned to Tigerlily who was smiling at me. I looked back out into the camp, many of the groups had stopped what they were doing and were staring at us. An older man stood up from the fire he was sitting at and made his way over to us. He had a stern look on his old, wrinkled face.

He spoke in a tongue I had never heard of before. His voice was gruff, and I could tell that he was upset by his tone. Tigerlily rolled her eyes and scoffed back at the old man. I stood uncomfortably watching the argument, not sure if I should interject. They went back and forth for several minutes before the old man huffed a sigh. He gestured for me to follow him and walked back over to his fire. I turned to Tigerlily who waved for me to follow the old man. I started slowly, making sure that she was following me before setting a normal pace.

I felt anxious. I had never known that there was anyone other than the Lost boys, Tink and Bae and I on the island. I felt like an alien in my old home. All eyes were on me as I walked over the fire. It was strange.

I sat next to the old man, and Tigerlily sat beside me, holding my hand in hers. The old man looked intently into the fire before speaking.

"Tigerlily has been watching over you for several decades. She has always felt very protective of you. I don't know why I'm surprised she brought you here." He shook his head, looking exasperated and tired. I turned to Tigerlily who was smiling brightly at me. Her eyes glittered in the light of the fire.

"Why? I only saw you twice when I was a child, and nobody believed me when I told them." I was so confused and overwhelmed. Tigerlily's smile changed, turning from joyous to sad.

"My mother was taken from me as well." My breath caught in my throat. I squeezed Tigerlily's hand. Her eyes glistened, welling up with tears.

"We've hid away in the forest, unknown to the other inhabitants, but Lily always felt drawn to you because of what had happened to your mother." The old man spoke more towards the fire than me. "She was always a curious soul, the reason for my winkled face, despite the centuries of not aging. She would sit near the water, wishing for someone to fill the hole left by her mother's loss. That was where she was when your father's ship arrived her for the first time."

"I hid amongst the bushes while the crew came ashore. You were wiggling around in your father's arms." She smiled to herself, reliving the memory. "He looked exhausted. I remember him saying to his first mate that he didn't know how he would be able to raise you without your mother."

"She came back to the camp as fast as her feet could carry her. She begged me to let her expose herself to the pirates. She wanted to badly to know you. Wanted you to have a mother figure in your life." The old man sighed.

"Did Pan know you were here? He just let you stay here?" I felt heavy. Tigerlily had kept her eyes on me because she wanted to be sure I'd be okay without my mother.

"He knew, but we have been here long before he and his so called lost boys." The old man stood to stoke the fire as he spoke. I looked around at the other fires around the camp. The groups around them had continued with their conversations, but some were giving me dirty looks while they spoke in hushed tones amongst themselves.

"How long have you all been here?" I turned away from harsh looks of the other campers and back to Tigerlily and the Old Man. Tigerlily was still holding my hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Many centuries." The Old Man stoked the fire again; sending sparks fluttering up into the night sky. Someone brought an armload of logs into the circle and tossed them on top. The flames shrunk beneath the fresh wood before absorbing them completely.

"But how did you get here?" I pulled my gaze away from the licking flames to continue questioning the Old Man. He smiled softly to himself. His dark eyes reflected the glowing fire. His old, weathered face showed sorrow despite the slight smile on his mouth. He stared intently into the fire before finally answering my question.

"When the Sky Woman fell to the earth, she brought with her a number of magic beans, making it possible for the her children to travel between realms. Her children separated, moving throughout the world that she had fallen upon, populating it." He paused a moment, his expression changed as he pondered his next words. "Many of her children turned away from her. Centuries passed; children were born, wars were fought. Many of us forgot about our brothers and sisters living throughout the rest of the world. However, legend said that one day we would be reunited, and when we were, it would be disastrous.

Generation to generation three of the Sky Woman's beans had been passed down. She had foreseen the tragedies that awaited her children and wished them an escape if they needed one.

When our brother's and sister's arrived from across the sea we welcomed them with open arms. They did not see us as their equals, but as inferior; as savages. They brought with them disease, death and destruction."

Tigerlily squeezed my hand a little harder. I turned to her, understanding that she had seen the destruction first hand. A cool breeze blew through the camp, blowing smoke through our faces. The whole camp was silent, listening to the Old Man's tale.

"They had decimated almost half of the tribe before they had been there for a full moon cycle. The Elder's and I met in secret to decide what we should do. We had kept the beans safe, and it was decided it was time to use them, as the Sky Woman had wanted us to.

We waited until the white men had moved to a new settlement to gather our things and go. We wished to go to a land that had been untouched by man, so that we may live in peace once again. The bean brought us here.

Because the island had been untouched since the beginning, time stood still. No one has aged, or passed on since we arrived. Even when Pan arrived, we were able to live peacefully. We kept to ourselves, hiding away as the island became more populated. We were never bothered, but we didn't want to risk what had happened in the old world."

The whole camp sat in silence as the wind blew. Clouds passed overhead, covering the bright moon and stars. Tigerlily sat, holding my hands still, staring into the fire. Slowly murmurs began again. Some people got up and went into the long buildings that surrounded the camp. I wondered if there were beds inside. I couldn't tell what time it was, but I knew I was exhausted.

Tigerlily seemed to be able to tell that, and got up, leading me into one of the long buildings. It was impossibly big inside. There were parts sectioned off that held family units; mothers, fathers and children watched me wide eyed as Tigerlily led me down the hall. We walked to the opposite end of the building, where she let go of my hand and climbed up into the small bunk like bed. She patted the hard looking surface, encouraging me to join her.

I climbed up into her little cabin and tried to make myself comfortable. It was solid wood, but I didn't have a difficult time falling asleep. I was exhausted. The smells and sounds of the island lulled me to sleep, along with the Tigerlily humming to herself and playing with my hair. If we had been rocking around, I would have thought I was back on the Jolly Roger with my daddy.

I woke up alone and refreshed. The hard boards of the bunk had left me stiff, but I had slept soundly and dreamlessly. My belly rumbled, encouraging me to actually get up. The clouds hung low in the sky, covering the sun. Tigerlily was sitting by a fire with her back to me. I wandered over and sat next to her. She was deep in discussion with the Old Man, who was cooking some squirrels over the fire. The meat scented smoke wafted up into the air, making my stomach rumble again.

Tigerlily turned her attention to me then.

"I can tell that slept well, the dark circles under your eyes are almost all gone" She caressed my cheek lovingly. She knelt down and plucked a fruit out of a basket at her feet. "To hold you over until the squirrels are ready. I remembered these were your favourite."

I smiled down at the pink fruit in my hand. It was soft in ripeness, and easy to peel.

"Why are you doing all of this? We barely know each other." I bit into the fruit, making sticky juice run down my chin. A small cluster of children sitting outside the circle giggled and pointed at my dripping face. Tigerlily looked down at her hands as I ate my fruit.

"I already told you, I grew up without my mother, and I hated that you had to grow up the same. I've helped you out a lot over the years, but because my grandfather insisted we keep ourselves hidden I wasn't able to do so openly. I'm sorry if I've been too forward." She wrung her hands as she spoke.

"No, no. Thank you. I appreciate what you've done for me, even if I didn't know about it at the time." I paused to think about all the times I'd gotten out of mishaps on this island and didn't quite understand how; now I did.

"You're probably wondering how you're going to get home to your friends." The Old Man's voice brought me back from my ponderings. He was removing the squirrels from the fire and laying them down on a large palm leaf. The looked delicious.

"I guess it hadn't really crossed my mind. I've been so overwhelmed with all of this." I gestured around the huge camp. The Old Man chuckled as he pulled the squirrels off their spit.

"Will you go back to them, or go on trying to find your father?" Tigerlily asked as she handed me one of the squirrels. I thought hard about her question as I bit into the meat. It was juicy, and cooked to perfection.

"I have to go back to my friends. I left without them after promising to wait for them. I need to apologize to them before I do anything else. They didn't deserve that." Louis' bright eyes drifted into my mind; I didn't want to imagine how they'd look at me now. I could just imagine the earful Isaac and Will were going to give me. "I don't even know how I'm supposed to get back. I only had one bean."

I let my head fall back in frustration. I hadn't thought any of this through. I had been stupid and rash and I was probably stuck here forever because of it.

Tigerlily sighed and smiled at me. The Old Man turned away, looking somewhat disgruntled.

"What?" I was already so overwhelmed by everything that had happened and now there was something Tigerlily seemed to be avoiding telling me something.

"Did you not pay any attention to the story last night? We have magic beans." Tigerlily's eyes glistened as she spoke. She looked so happy to be able to help me.

"You don't want to give me any of your beans though. You might want them, or need them some day." I shook my head at her. I wouldn't be able to accept a bean from them, after what had happened to these people, I couldn't bring myself to take a possible escape route from them.

"We have been able to grow more. The magic of this land has allowed crops of the beans flourish." The Old Man faced me then. He had the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "If a time comes again, and we do need them, we will have all that we need. Go back to your friends, then find your father."

"You've had to live so long without your family. I wish you could have found him here, but now you have the opportunity to find him where ever he has gone to." Tigerlily grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. I felt my eyes start welling up with tears. This girl barely knew me, but was so willing to help me find my daddy.

The Old Man got up and walked over into one of the long houses. He emerged a few moments later with a small leather sack. He handed it to me gingerly.

"There are ten beans in here. Use them wisely, only when you desperately need them. Tigerlily trusts that you won't waste our hard work on frivolous travel." He grasped my free hand tightly in his. His tough leathery hands shook slightly, showing his age. He nodded his head before returning to his seat.

"I don't know how to thank you." I stood by the warm fire, astounded by their generosity.

"Find your father, you being with him will be thanks enough." Tigerlily smiled despite the tears in her eyes. I grabbed her hand and pulled her up into a hug.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I'll never be able to repay you for your generosity." I choked back my own tears as I hugged her.

We let go of each other and hands locked together walked out of the camp. Once we were a distance away from the camp we stopped, hugged each other one more time, tears streaming down our faces.

"I'll come back, once I've found him. So you know. So I can thank you, for real." I didn't understand how I could feel so close to someone I barely knew. My heart ached at the thought of leaving this place, but I knew I needed to get back to my friends, and finally find my daddy.

She held my face firmly in her hands, and kissed my forehead. I felt a wash of love that I had only ever left when my mother would kiss my forehead in my dreams.

"I'll be waiting for you." She gave my hands one last squeeze before taking a few steps back, away from me.

I reached into the small leather sack and pulled out a small, glittery bean. It didn't vibrate like it had last time. I turned back to Tigerlily one last time before giving the bean a squeeze and tossing it in front of me. A huge ball of magic exploded in front of my feet, it swirled just inches away from my ankles. I took one last deep breathe before jumping in. I thought hard about the Enchanted Forest, hoping I'd land at the Dark One's castle.

I landed on my hands and knees in the dirt in front of the Evil Queen's castle. I got up and dusted the damp dirt off my knees.

"Well, close enough I guess." I started walking down the trail, not sure if I was ready to face my friends.


	11. Chapter 11

I had walked several miles when I came upon a huge crowd of people led by Robin. Roland was walking beside him, holding his father's hand. He tore away from his father when he saw me and came running into my arms.

"You never came home!" He hollered into my neck, refusing to let go of me.

"I know, friend. I'm sorry. I'm back now though!" I tore him off of me and ruffled his hair. Robin jogged up to us, leaving the group a ways down the road.

"How did you get back? Louis said he only had the one bean." I stood up, bringing Roland with me, to hug Robin. He squeezed me hard.

"He did, but I met some people on Neverland who had some more, and I got back." I let go of him and saw that the group had caught up to us. The Merry Men mingled amongst the new comers. "Who are all these people?"

"Um, well it would appear that the Enchanted Forest has returned. Please excuse me and my friend for a moment." He turned and gestured towards the crowd before grabbing my arm and pulling me away, off the road. "Mara, you should go back to the castle. The boys are there, they'll want to see you."

I let out a long breath. Being back meant facing Louis and Isaac and that wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Yea, I owe them an apology." I looked up at the waiting crowd; there were three in particular who stood out amongst them. The stood close together, talking amongst them while eyeing me. "Who're they?"

"The Charming's and the Evil Queen." Robin chuckled at my shocked look. "I know. A somewhat strange arrangement given the origins of the curse, but I supposed things have changed in the past thirty or so years since they've been gone."

He paused for a moment, as I examined the people watching us curiously.

"I should get going if I'm going to make it back to the castle before sun down. Will the Merry Men be going back?" I shifted Roland in my arms as I talked.

"I think we'll stay with this group. They're going to need help dealing with the Wicked Witch." He pulled his fingers through his annoyingly perfect hair nervously.

I looked up to see Will pushing through to the front of the crowd; following closely behind him was a tall woman with long dark hair. She stopped when she reached the Charming's and started talking with Mrs. Charming. Will wandered over to Robin and I, looking relieved. He pulled me into a rib-crushing hug.

"Don't you ever run away without telling anyone ever again." He held my face between his hands, forcing me to look in his eyes. "Those boys haven't eaten or slept since you left."

"I know, I'm sorry. But I couldn't wait. I had to go find my daddy, Will." I pulled his hands off of my face, but held them in mine. Robin picked his son out of my arms and returned to the waiting crowd, talking with the three at the head. "Are you going to stay with Robin or come back to the Dark One's castle with me?"

Will looked down at our entwined hands, and then slowly let go. He let out a long breath before finally meeting my gaze.

"I think I'll stay with Robin. I talked with Louis while you were gone. You need to talk to him when you get back there." I gulped when Will mentioned Louis. I could tell by the way Will was looking at me what he and Louis must have talked about.

"He's the first person I need to apologize to." Will nodded his head in agreement. "Is my daddy in this group? Wasn't he wherever they were?"

Will made a face and shook his head.

"I guess he left as soon as they arrived. I couldn't hear where they said he was going though. It's all just whispers."

I sighed, discouraged that I may have missed him again.

"I guess I'll just head back to the castle then. It'll be dark soon so I should probably get going." Will and I stood together awkwardly for a moment. Neither of us really wanted to say goodbye because we didn't know when we would see each other again.

I let out another long breath and started to turn towards the impatiently waiting crowd. Will caught my arm and pulled me into another tight hug, brushing his lips across mine as he went to kiss me cheek.

"It's been a good few years, Mar." He whispered in my ear as we hugged. We let each other go but he held me by the shoulders. "Now, before you go. What the hell did you do with me bloody heart?"

I laughed out loud, turning to walk over to Robin. It had been several years since I had hidden it from him. I knew he wouldn't be happy when I told him where it was.

"Under the rose bushes in the garden." I turned to see Will's face. His whole face dropped, clearly annoyed with me. He shook his head as he sighed and pulled his fingers through his hair. "What? I knew you wouldn't look there."

I laughed again as I walked to Robin and Roland. Robin was talking with the three at the head of the group, trying to explain the hold up.

"I'm going back to the castle. I need to apologize to the boys, and then I guess I'll have to try to find out where-"

"To move on from there. I understand. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon." Robin hugged me as he finished speaking. He put his mouth to my ear and whispered: "Your father was a villain to them, try not to reveal yourself. He's gone to Camelot to search for you."

He let me go and smiled at me. I smiled back before squatting down to give Roland a hug.

"You make sure your daddy reads to you okay? Or maybe you should read to him." I ruffled his hair as he giggled at me. "I'll see you again okay?"

I hugged him again before standing up.

"Where are you all headed?" I asked, trying to cut the awkwardness.

"My old castle, which apparently has been taken over by some green woman." The woman standing nearest Robin spoke. She must have been the Evil Queen.

"Good luck with that. Will can get in there. But her magic is stronger and wickeder than anything I've ever seen." I shook my head, knowing well how scary the woman was. I let out a soft sigh, knowing I needed to get going soon if I was going to make it back to the castle before dark. I was about three quarter's of the way there and there were only so many hours in a day. "I should get going. I'll see you guys around I guess."

I gave Robin, Roland and Will one last hug before continuing on my way back to the castle. It took me another few hours to finally get there. I stood outside for a minute, working up the courage to actually go in.

I let out a groan and pushed the heavy wooden doors open. The front hallway was incredibly empty with all of the Merry Men gone. I meandered my way up the grand staircase and down the hall towards the bedrooms.

As I passed mine I noticed a woman standing in front of the bookcase, examining my books. I stopped dead in my tracks then stepped back behind the wall, sneaking a peak at her. She turned towards the door, with her nose in the book she had chosen, totally oblivious to my existence. She turned her back to me again and I snuck in.

I tiptoed over to her, wishing I had something smaller than a sword to pull on her as I unsheathed one of the swords on my back. I paused for a moment, and then grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her against me and putting my sward against her throat. She gasped and closed the book with a snap, pulling it to her chest.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" I hissed into her ear.

"I feel the need to inform you that this is my room." She breathed before she head butted me. I dropped my sword and staggered back.

She was on me like a flash, as she shoved me onto the bed. We struggled for a few minutes before I finally overpowered her. I sat on top of her, holding her wrists together so she couldn't fight anymore. She struggled for a few seconds longer before giving up.

"Now, was that necessary?" I asked, out of breath.

"Was holding a sword to my throat necessary? NEAL!" She retorted, struggling again as she shouted for someone. She had dark brown hair, and matching brown eyes. She wiggled around under, trying to shake me off. I rolled my eyes and climbed off of her. "Well that was easy."

"Well, it just felt wrong to be sitting on top of a squirming woman. Although I suppose it would depend on why she was squirming." I tilted my head to the side, giving her a once over. She looked uncomfortable, but stuck her hand out to me anyways.

"I'm Belle." I reached out and shook her hand.

"Mara, I-" I was cut off as Isaac rushed into the room.

"What the hell's- Oh my god. Mar, you're back." He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me. He was next to me in an instant pulling me into his arms. I was about return his hug but froze when he grabbed my cheeks and pulled me into a kiss instead.

I wasn't sure what I should do. I was in utter shock. I guess I kissed him back for a second before realizing what was happening and pushing him away.

"What the hell, Zac?" We stood breathless, staring at each other for a moment. My eyes drifted up behind him to meet Louis'. I hadn't even heard him come in. He was standing next to another man, looking devastated.

"I'm sorry, I just- I thought you were gone, and we didn't know when or if you were coming home." He stuttered through his words, struggling to come up with an explanation.

"So what, you decided kissing me was a good way to make sure I was really back?" I raised my voice higher than was necessary, triggering something in Isaac.

"I guess I just thought, I'd lost you once it was about time I showed you how I felt about you so I wouldn't loose you again!" He screamed at me before turning and storming out of the room. The four of us left in the room stood in stunned silence for a moment, before Louis sighed and walked over to me.

"Don't you dare run away like that again." He pulled me into a hug, sighing again. "We were so scared we'd never see you again." He let me go and took a step back. I felt like my heart had stopped beating. I was overwhelmed by Isaac's feelings and now I had to apologize to Louis for running away. I wanted to cry.

"I'm so sorry. I just couldn't wait. I had to find my daddy." I paused, not wanting to have to admit that I hadn't even found him. "It wasn't even worth it. He'd already left by the time I got there."

"I'm so sorry, Mar." He said with another sigh. "I wish we could have gotten there in time."

"How long did you miss us by?" The man standing in the door took a step forward. He looked gruff, with short dark hair and goatee. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him.

"Us? You were with my daddy?" I stepped towards the man, needing to know everything I could. He chuckled to himself.

"Mar, I know it's been a while but come on." He stared me down. I knew I was missing something. I turned back to Belle, remembering that she had called him Neal.

I spun back towards him, realizing who he was. We both laughed as I launched myself into his arms.

"Oh my god, Bae. I've missed you so much." I let him go and grabbed his cheeks. He looked much older than me. The hair on his head and his face was still dark, but speckled with grey hairs. "You got so old."

We both laughed again. He pulled me into another hug; I had lost count of how many I'd received that day.

"Yea, well, there wasn't any curse that kept me from aging where I went." He chuckled to himself.

"Maybe not any curses, but I've heard there was a girl." I gave him a cheeky smile, but his expression changed. He suddenly looked very sad.

"Yea, there was. But I messed up. And I was too scared, and I guess selfish, to make things right with her." He almost looked angry as he talked. I wondered what he could have done, but given his expression I didn't want to ask.

"But she gave you a son didn't she?" I hoped bringing up his son would change cheer him up. He did smile, but his eyes were still sad.

"Yea, she did. But I didn't know about him until about two weeks ago." My heart ached for him. He had gone to the land with no magic to try and find peace and happiness, but it sounded like he hadn't gotten any. He jolted suddenly, grabbing my by the arms. "Oh my god, Mar, your dad is here. You're finally going to find your dad! Oh my god, I'll try to find out where he's gone."

"Robin told me he's headed to Camelot to look for me. I guess that's where I need to go from here." We all stood awkward silence, not sure of what to do next.

"Zac and I will come with you." Louis was leaning in my doorframe. I turned away from Bae, shaking my head at Louis.

"You two have uprooted your lives enough for me. You should stay here." I stepped out of Bae's arms and walked over to Louis. He stood up straighter as I approached him.

"Mar, our father is the reason you haven't see yours in so long. And besides that, you're our family. We're going to help you out with whatever you need." We smiled at each other. I knew how guilty he felt about his father being the one who took me away from my daddy. He had nothing to feel guilty about. He hadn't had anything to do with it. We had been six; Zac hadn't even been born yet. Thinking about Zac brought me back to reality.

"Do you really think Zac is gonna want to come?" After I had yelled at him, I doubted he was going to want to go anywhere with me.

"Why do I have a feeling he's never going to let you out of his sight." He laughed as he turned out of the room.

"That's kind of creepy." Bae spoke behind me. Louis chuckled as he stepped out the door. His head popped back in a second later.

"Can you please make sure she doesn't run away again? It'll be much easier to help her find her dad if we aren't trying to find her." I rolled my eyes at him, as he winked at me.

"Why do I feel like that's a difficult job?" Bae laughed. I gave him a shove. Belle was sitting on her bed with her nose back in her book.

"I guess I should start packing my things." It was then that I realized I had no idea what I'd done with the bag I had taken to Neverland. I didn't have much to take anyways. A few clothes, my swords. I didn't have much other than that.

I meandered through the room, collecting my few belongs. Belle got up and left, leaving Bae and I alone. He was standing by the bookcase, examining some of mine and Belle's books.

"So both of the huh?" Bae spoke with a chuckle.

"What are you talking about?" I froze. I hated talking about this. That's why I didn't. But apparently everyone else felt the need to.

"Oh come on Mar. It was obvious that Louis had a crush on you when he came to rescue you on Neverland, but I guess being with you for so long, the other one followed along." I kept my back to Bae while he talked, but I heard him walk over to me.

"I don't know what to do, what to tell them." I paused. I had always tried to change the topic when someone brought up the boys and their feelings. I never wanted to talk about it. Bae was different. I had always been able to tell Bae everything. "I don't want to hurt either of them. But I can't even think about either of them like that until I know where my daddy is, and I get to see him again."

I turned to Bae. He was leaning against one of the bed's canopy poles, looking at his hands. He really had gotten old. The young boy I'd known was gone, there was no hope left in his eyes, just sorrow.

"Believe me Mar. You can't let finding your dad get in the way. That girl, the one who had my son? I ran away. I don't know what I was thinking. If I had known she was pregnant I never would have gone. I would have forgotten everything I was afraid of. But I didn't. I let her take the fall for my mistakes." He paused; collecting himself. "I've regretted leaving every day since. And now I won't ever get to see her again."

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He hugged me back, squeezing me tight.

"What do I do?" I rested my cheek on his chest. I felt a tear stream down my nose. Bae cleared his throat and released me.

"Well, I think Louis would go to the end of the earth to make sure you were happy and okay. Clearly Isaac is affectionate." He chuckled. "I don't know Mar. It's your life. It's your choice."

"Sometimes I wish it wasn't." I walked around him and flopped over onto the bed. He turned but stayed leaning against the pole.

"Believe me Mar, you really don't." His eyes were sad and knowing. I sat back up, still unsure of what I was going to do, but ready to go to Camelot to finally reunite with my daddy.

Isaac stepped into the room as I bent to pick up my bag. He was looking at his feet. Louis came in behind him, leaning against the doorframe.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you Mar. I was just so worried that I was never going to see you again. I'm not going to apologize for kissing you though. That's something I've been meaning to do for years."

I couldn't find any words. I gave Bae a look, searching for help. He just shook his head, refusing to help me. With a sigh I walked over to Zac and wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight.

"It's okay. I'm sorry I ran away." I pulled away and smiled at him and his brother. "I just really need to find my daddy."

"I know. And that's why Louis and I are coming with you to Camelot." He held my arms, not letting me get too far away from him. He smiled at me sweetly. I could feel how badly he wanted to help me. I looked up at Louis, whose eyes were shining at me again. I felt my stomach drop; from both butterflies and remembering the decision I was going to have to eventually make.

"Um, do we have any idea how we're going to get there?" I asked, looking back and forth between the two boys.

"Well a boat would probably be fastest route." Louis stood up straight and stepped into the room. "And staying close to the sea will probably be the best way to find your dad."

I nodded in agreement, and then turned back to Bae. I didn't really want to leave just after seeing him again. I didn't know how soon I would be back, if I did come back.

"Don't worry, Mar. I'm here to try and get my dad back too. You go find yours, we'll have plenty of time to really catch up later." He smiled at me. I finally felt like things were going to work out. That I was finally going to be okay.


	12. Chapter 12

We searched for a year. My daddy always seemed to be one village ahead of us. I was beginning to lose hope.

"Mar, everyone we've talked to said he is here, in this village. Don't give up just yet." Louis spoke from the other side of the table, bringing me out of my haze. I looked up from my full mug of beer. I nodded, but I didn't feel any better. All this time we'd been just a step of two behind him, never able to catch up. But now we were in the village. He was in one of the other buildings in town, maybe on one of the ships in the port. I wanted to believe this was real and I had finally found him, but I could help but think he'd be gone by morning.

I tried to sip at my beer, but it tasted sour. Everything did lately. I didn't sleep at night, I barely ate. The stress of running around, searching for my daddy was finally taking a toll on me.

"I'M LOOKING FOR A MAGIC BEAN!" A booming voice broke through the crowded tavern. My hand slipped to the small pouch on my belt. "I will pay whatever price is asked!"

I lifted my eyes to Louis, who shook his head subtly. Isaac looked at me with expectantly, the thought of incredible riches exciting him. I could hear the man walking amongst the tables, asking people about beans. His voice sent a shiver down my spine. It was eerily familiar.

"Why does his voice sound familiar?" I said, still looking at Louis. He shrugged, but I could tell he recognized the voice too.

"Do you three know of- boys?" He stopped when he saw Louis and Isaac, and my breath caught in my throat.

I couldn't bring myself to look at him, I didn't have to. His dark hair and piercing eyes were already burned into my memory, even though I hadn't seen him since he'd handed me over to Pan.

"Father? What are you doing here?" Isaac jumped up and hugged his father. I felt like someone was squeezing my lungs as hard as they could. I was trying to suck in air but it felt like I was choking.

"I see the rumours are true, you are with Hook's daughter." I could feel his eyes beating down on me. I couldn't take being in his presence any more and rushed out of the tavern.

I stood outside in the cool, salty air, gasping. Hard as I was trying, I couldn't seem to get enough air in my lungs. My head spun, and my cheeks throbbed. I couldn't believe this.

"Hey! Hey, are you okay?" Isaac sprinted out of the tavern. I slipped down to the ground, absolutely exhausted. "Hey, it's okay Mar."

I shook my head. I was not okay. Nothing was okay. He squatted down in front of me as I spoke.

"How is this okay, Zac? He's the reason I've been looking for my daddy all these years." I had finally caught my breath, but I could feel tears streaming down my face.

"He's also my father, Mar." His eyes begged me for empathy, but I couldn't bring myself to give it to him. Black Beard had taken me from my daddy for the sake of a deal. Zac had asked to leave with Louis, thinking his brother was going on an adventure without him.

"Well I'm glad he found you." I stood up and tried to walk away but Zac caught my arm. I stopped and stared hard at him. "You know maybe this is a sign. This all started with your dad, maybe it ends with him too. Maybe this is a sign that I'm not supposed to find my daddy."

"Mar-" Zac tried to keep me there, but I pulled away.

"No, Zac. I'm done with this. I'm going to bed." I walked back through the tavern to the rooms in the back. Zac's bag sat in the corner beside mine. I was tempted to stick it outside the door, I didn't want to be anywhere near him right now.

I undressed and climbed into bed. Seeing Black Beard had wiped all of my energy. I fell asleep quickly, making sure to sleep right in the middle of the bed.

"MARA! Mar. Oh my god. You have to come see it. I have a surprise for you." Isaac jumped on top of me, tussling the pillows and sheets.

"What the hell Zac, get off!" I shoved him off of me, still angry about last night. "I don't care."

He hopped up off the floor, still smiling brightly. I couldn't imagine what he could have gotten for me that would make up for last night. He hadn't come bed, meaning he'd either figured that I didn't want him there, or he'd spent the night with his father; I was guessing the latter.

"Mara, just get dressed and come out to the docks. Trust me, I know you're going to be ecstatic about this." He was panting, but my attitude clearly hadn't changed his mood. "Hurry. I cannot wait for you to see this."

He ran out of the room without another word. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I climbed out of bed and started to look for something to wear. My things had been moved, and Zac's bag was gone. I slowly got dressed and brushed my hair. I didn't really want to go see what surprise he had for me, but I didn't exactly have anything else to do.

I made my way down to the docks. Zac was waiting in front of one of the tall ships that was bobbing in the water. His grin grew bigger the closer I got. He put his arms out, presenting the ship we were in front of to me.

I looked up and the beautiful brown ship. It had been decades since I'd really experienced life on such a boat. I had missed it so much. The yellow and blue paint suggested it was a navel ship, but the red flag flapping in the wind gave it away as a pirates ship.

I stared at it a moment before realizing what Isaac had found. I gasped, and turned to him. His smile could not have been any bigger. This was it. We'd found the Jolly Roger, and my daddy couldn't be far away.

I sprinted over to the gangplank and began boarding when Black Beard stepped out in front of me. I stopped so fast I almost fell over.

"And where do you think you're going? Women don't belong on pirate ships, my dear girl" He flicked his wrists, gesturing me to back away. I turned around to find Zac waiting for me at the bottom of the plank, looking at his feet.

"Where the hell's my daddy?" I asked Zac, before turning back to face his father.

"Not here, girl. Now get off my ship." Black Beard sneered at me. I stepped back, off the gangplank and back onto the dock. Black Beard went over to the other side of the ship. I stomped over to Zac and grabbed him by the collar, pulling his face close to mine.

"What the hell, Zac?" I could see fear and shame in his eyes. He's never seen me this mad, and he clearly knew I had reason to be mad.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey." Louis ran up the dock and pulled me off of Zac. He looked around, immediately noticing the Jolly Roger. "What's going on? Is that your father's ship?" He smiled hopefully at me.

"It was, but I guess something happened." I threw my arms up in the air in frustration.

"What? What happened?" He asked, looking between Zac and myself.

"I don't know! But I'm willing to bet he does!" I pointed at Zac furiously.

"Zac?" Louis could tell his brother had messed up, I could see the disappointment on his face.

"I didn't realize it was him until it was too late." Zac turned to me, trying to look apologetic.

"Until it was too late? He was here and you didn't think to come get me?" I lunged at him again, but Louis caught me, pulling me close against him so I couldn't move. I struggled in his arms for a few moments, but he only squeezed tighter.

"Mar, I-" Zac started to talk again but Louis cut him off.

"Zac, just start from the beginning. What did you and father talk about after I left last night?" Louis finally let me go and I stepped away from him. I couldn't imagine what kind of story Zac had to tell, but I knew Louis wasn't going to let me thrash his brother without good reason.

"Well, I asked father why he needed the bean. He said he had a chance to get an old ship he had lost back, but he needed a magic bean to trade for it. I thought we'd have a better time finding your father if we were out at sea so you wouldn't mind using one of your beans." I was fuming. It was taking all of my energy to not lunge at him again. "It wasn't until I was there handing it over that I realized who it was. Mar, I'd never seen him before! The only giveaway was the hook!"

He took a step towards me, begging me to understand, but I turned and walked away from him. I was so mad I wanted to kill him, and his father. I knew Black Beard had made a point of leaving out whom he was trading the bean with to keep my daddy and me apart. I couldn't believe that Zac had let this happen.

"What did you think I was going to say when I found out you'd taken one of my beans? Did you really think I was going to be okay with that?" I stopped and turned back to him and Louis. "Why can't you think before you act, Zac?"

He stared angrily at me for a moment before storming onto the ship, leaving Louis and me on the dock. I huffed out a breath and turned again, planning on getting my things and getting the hell away from here.

"Mara! Mara, wait!" Louis jogged up to me and caught my arm, turning me to face him.

"And where the hell were you when all of this was happening, huh?" I yanked my arm out of his grasp and stared him down. I was so unbelievably mad; I almost didn't notice how hurt he was by his brother's actions.

"I went to bed after you did. I tried to get your attention as you went by, but you didn't notice me. Zac woke me up right after you, I had no idea any of this was going on, I promise." He looked frantic and tired as he spoke. "I'm so so-"

"No! No. You cannot apologize for this. You cannot try to make up for him this time. He went too far this time!" I turned to continue down the dock, but Louis caught my arm again.

"I'm not apologizing for him. I'm just sorry that this happened." He looked at me with big, sad eyes. He kept a firm grip on my arm this time; but not firm enough to hurt me. "I'm sorry that he hurt you again. Sorry that I couldn't protect you like I promised Bae I would."

"Is that why you've stayed this long? Why you never went back? Because you promised my brother?" He stepped back like I had just punched him in the face. I knew it was a cheap shot, but I was upset that I wasn't able to stop myself.

"I think we both know why I never went back." He pulled his face close to mine, staring into my eyes intensely. It was suddenly very hard to breath again. I knew he and his father had had a tumultuous relationship to say the least, but I also knew that wasn't what he was talking about.

I pulled my arm out of his grasp again and he straightened up. I turned away from him, wanting to leave but my feet wouldn't move. I turned back to him. He was staring intently at me. I stared back for a moment, considering what I was going to do. He sighed and smiled, shaking his head before taking a step towards me.

He pulled me into a kiss. I wanted to resist, push him away like I had when Zac had kissed me like this. But I didn't, I couldn't. His mouth was so soft and warm on mine. Every cell in my body needed him closer to me. My fingers found their way into his hair, and his found their way to my waist, pulling me against him.

I didn't want to, but we eventually let go of each other. We were both out of breath, and still incredibly close. His eyes shone at me again; something they hadn't done in a while. We stared at each other a few moments, catching our breath while we processed what had just happened.

I pulled away suddenly, and turned away from him, pulling my fingers through my hair frustratedly.

"Mar?" Louis stepped towards me, touching my arm lightly. I spun around; totally overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

"Why? Why now? Why after all these years? After everything that's happened?" I paused, biting my lip. It tasted like his still. "Why?" I breathed, finally.

"I don't know. You were leaving. I-" He stopped and sighed. "I don't know Mar, I'm sorry."

"I need to think." I said with a sigh.

"What do you mean you need to think? Mar?" He looked like I'd punched him in the gut. I felt terrible.

"I mean I've been with your brother for the past couple of months, and then he just destroys all of my trust and now this! I don't know what I'm feeling, or what to do, Louis. Go with your dad and brother, if I had the chance, I know I would." I sighed again.

"Mar, I don't wanna go with them. I didn't want to go with them even before I kissed you. I wanna be with you." He clasped my hands in his as he spoke. My stomach clenched. I knew deep down I wanted to be with him too, but I was entirely too overwhelmed.

"Then tell me why you waited until right now, Louis! You've had years!" I hadn't meant to yell, but my words came out several octaves higher than I had anticipated.

"I- I don't know, Mar. I don't know what to tell you." He sighed.

"Well, I'm going to go find something to do with myself since my daddy is gone forever. I guess when you figure it out, you can come find me." I felt sick as the words came out of my mouth. I turned and started walking away. Every fiber of my being told me to turn around and run back into his arms, but I couldn't. I needed time to think, and to breathe.

At the end of the docks I stopped and turned to see what Louis was doing. Part of me hoped he would follow me. He had his face in his hands, looking absolutely crushed. My stomach clenched.

Suddenly his head jerked up, turning to face the Jolly Roger. I couldn't read his expression from where I stood. He turned and sprinted up the gangplank and disappeared onto the ship.


End file.
